Turnabout Titan
by Chaltab
Summary: When Robin is framed for murder, the Teen Titans rally to his cause, and hire a certain Ace Attorney to come to his defense. It's up to Wright and Co to save the Boy Wonder or risk exposing his identity to the world. Can we get an OBJECTION?
1. Murderer!

Author's Note:_ Hey, everybody! I just need to clear up a few things about timelines before we get this started._

**Phoenix**** Wright Fans** – I'm aware that the games canonically take place in the late 2010s. However, that obviously doesn't fit with a story about the Teen Titans. This story is set in December of 2008, and assumes that the original game took place in 2006 and that the second took place in 2007. In other words, take the year it happened in the games and subtract ten, and everything works out. This takes place between cases two and three of _Trials and Tribulations._

**Teen Titans Fans** – The story of this case takes place shortly after the events of season four but before those of season five. There is some continuity with my previous stories _Legacy of the Tamaranian_ and _Colors_, but I will make sure this story can be understood on its own.

**Previous Legacyverse Readers** – This happens after the 'Blight' arc of _Colors._

Now on to the story.

* * *

** Turnabout Titan**

**Chapter One: Murderer!**

The wind was chilly in the dark December night. Not that Frank Newitt hadn't expected the cold. What he hadn't expected was the need to be out in it this late at night. But circumstances beyond his control had forced his hand and he had no choice but to run away from the life he'd come to know.

He feared the door to his flat was being watched, so he climbed out his window, all the possession he dared bring with him in a folder cradled in his arms, pressed against his chest…

All because he'd made that deal—all because of that blasted superhero. He should never have gotten involved in any of it. Metahumans, super criminals—it was all out of his league…

Suddenly, a soft quite voice called out his name.

"Frank," said the whisper. "What are you running from?"

_No! Not now! _Frank didn't respond. He just kept running towards the edge of the building. He could climb down the fire escape and rent a car. He'd be gone before sunrise—back to where he belonged.

"Fraaaank…" came the voice again.. And suddenly a flash of red and black filled his vision and he was on his rear before the pain registered in his head. The world was spinning and his vision swam all over the place, and when he finally was able to focus, his heart sank at what he saw. A young male, no older than twenty, was standing over him. In the darkness of night, only the figure's eyes, his spiky hair, and his shiny white teeth were visible. The clock that topped the sign of the Time Warp Theatre across the street cast an eerie glow on the silhouetted character before him.

Though Frank Newitt knew all to well who the young man was.

"Get away from me!" he cried, crawling backwards.

"You know too much, Frank," said the boy. "My father can't have his secrets being exposed—especially now." The grinning assailant drew a small cylinder from his belt, and with a twirl the item expanded into a five-foot long bo-staff. Frank Newitt shuddered, crawling back… but unable to do so fast enough. His elbow slammed into a something sharp and metallic, and spasms of pain shot up his arm. Something warm and viscous ran down his forehead and Frank realized that he was bleeding from his attacker's earlier blow.

And to his horror, Frank realized that the attacker was standing over him.

"It's really not anything personal. Rest well in hell, Mr. Newitt." The young man drew the bo-staff back and plunged it forward with incredible strength—directly through Frank Newitt's chest.

The life left Frank Newitt's eyes as his life's blood drained away.

* * *

Shadows were the Boy Wonder's friend—Batman had taught him that back when the young hero known as Robin lived in Wayne Manor and fought crime along side the Dark Knight and the red-haired bombshell Batgirl.

Robin was nowhere near Batman, but the lessons still remained. He felt strangely naked now, standing in the glow of the red light from the theatre across the street, and the lights on the building to his right. The latter had just come on at 10 PM as he had arrived on the roof. It made him feel vulnerable. Even after more than two years of defending Jump City, California, in broad daylight as leader of the Teen Titans, he still preferred to work under the cover of darkness. Maybe living in Gotham City for so long had instilled it in his blood.

Robin reached down and took hold of the bo-staff—his own weapon—that had been plunged through the chest of the man in front of him. Or rather, the corpse in front of him. He pulled the murder weapon and examined it—only to suddenly be bombarded by the flash of a camera. Robin gasped, turning to his right and drawing a birdarang. And to his surprise, thirty feet away he saw the cameraman. Or rather, the camera boy—a child no older than twelve, staring down at the murder scene, mouth agape.

Instincts kicked in, and the Boy Wonder vanished back into the comfort of the shadows...with the murder weapon in hand

It took him only a second to realize what he had just inadvertently done.

Then dread for what the next day would hold was his only thought, as he mounted the R-Cycle and headed back towards Titans Tower.

* * *

**Chaltab Presents  
**

**The Teen Titans  
and**

**Wright and Co Law Offices  
**

**..in..  
**

**PHOENIX**** WRIGHT- TURNABOUT TITAN**

* * *

Dawn broke on a gloriously bright December morning, blinding the early-to-rise Raven when she teleported out onto the roof of the Tower for her daily mediation. The brightness actually forced her to turn her back to the sun for a change. The air was chilly, but the sun's rays more than made up for it.

"Up with the sun, huh?" a soft, reserved voice commented to her.

Raven's eyes snapped open to see a young man clad in a heavy coat sitting against the entrance to the Tower from the roof. His dark skin and spiky blond hair reflecting the sun's rays towards the darkest Teen Titan.

" Davis." Raven's voice betrayed very little emotion. Maybe the faintest hint of surprise. Raven couldn't afford to let her emotions get the better of her—her telekinetic powers tended to cause things to explode when that happened.

The ' Davis' she greeted strode across the roof and sat down in front of her. His codename was Yin, and he'd only joined the Titans a few short weeks ago, and really only to keep him from getting killed. Yin, who had the ability to stretch similar to Plastic Man and Elongated Man, wanted to use his powers to help. Unfortunately, the first time he'd tried to fight crime, it had ended with the young teen getting a knife through the belly. For this reason, Robin had agreed to take him in as a Titan and give him mentorship in exchange for him promising not to do any hero work on weeknights.

But for some very painful reasons, Yin's part-time status hadn't worked out, so he moved into the Tower. And Raven had a hunch that this was why he was there in the first place.

"Why are you up on the roof of the Tower this early?" she asked.

Yin sighed. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about my parents. Worrying."

" Davis, you can't blame yourself. Your parents' inability to get along is not your fault."

"They were fine before I started helping you guys on the weekends," Davis said. "I know they hated each other long before that, but at least they tried to make it work."

Raven scowled. " Davis, your parents don't hate each other. But sometimes humans are foolish and let things come between them and rational decisions. Your father simply didn't want to see you harmed, and your mother understood that you would put yourself in harm's way no matter what. It's not up to you to reconcile their differences."

Davis just stared out over the ocean for a few minutes before answering.

"You're human," Davis said. "Did you ever make that mistake?"

"I'm half human," Raven corrected, "And yes. I most certainly have made that mistake." Raven thought back to her encounters with an evil manipulative dragon named Malchior and a young bigoted columnist named Trevor Washington—both relationships had ended in pain.

"I see." Davis moved over and sat beside Raven. "So. Batman. If he's not Thomas Elliot, then who is he?"

Raven frowned. "You're still trying to figure out who Batman is?"

"Yup. Do you know? Please tell me! I've run it through my head so many times, I don't know where I made my mistake."

"Even assuming that I know," Raven said, not wanting to reveal anything, "what makes you think I'd tell you?"

"Because I know you don't liked to be bothered," Yin replied. "That'd be reason enough for me. You tell me, no more bothering."

"You're almost as incorrigible as Beast Boy." Raven allowed herself a smirk and then decided she'd be better off meditating in her room. She left Davis Jefferson on the roof, alone with his thoughts once again.

* * *

"Can't you even try it?" Cyborg, the heroic alias of one Victor Stone, asked. "If you can make a platform of rock to fly on like Terra used to, then you won't have to throw yourself across the room like a mad man. And I won't have to drive you to the mainland in the T-Car."

The young man Cyborg was speaking to shrugged his shoulders, the blue armor that adorned them rubbing against the green breastplate of his ancient Tamaranian battle suit. Though the guy inside the armor certainly wasn't Tamaranian. "I'm telling you, Vic, it won't work." The speaker was Ragnarök, the sixth young person to join the Titans West on a full time basis—not counting Terra, who had been a spy.

Ragnarök's ability wasn't unique even among the Titans; he could move earth just like Terra. Well, not exactly. His power was not genetic, but rather was derived from the Tamaranian armor he wore. He also couldn't move earth with as much power as Terra, though he had much finer control over the shapes he made. Terra had never managed something more complicated than a human hand; Ragnarok could form a scale model of Lady Gotham with but a thought.

Ragnarök obeyed Cyborg's request, attempting to make for himself a rock platform on which to fly. Rock exploded from the ground in a cloud of dust and flew skyward, and Cyborg followed it up with his eyes—only to widen them when he realized that the rock platform wasn't so much a _platform_ as it was a _donut_. There was a human-sized hole in the dead middle.

He glanced down to see Ragnarok in his blue and green armor, standing where he had been just a moment ago, though now covered in dust. "I told you it wouldn't work."

The armor that enabled Ragnarök—also known as Collin Roberts—to move earth had been an indirect gift from his grandfather on his fifteenth birthday—Alexander Roberts had dealt in black market antiquities for ages, and had encountered the ancient relic in Egypt in the 1940s. How the device made it to Earth was a persistent mystery.

Though ultimately, Ragnarök's only truly unique attribute came not from what he could do, but from where he was from, though that is a story in and of itself. Suffice it to say his vocabulary isn't exactly the same as that of his allies.

"Glomp!" Ragnarök swore—a grievous expletive in his own universe. "Come on, Vic, your pep talk almost made me think I could do it for a change. Maybe we could try and tweak my armor some more."

Cyborg walked over and tapped Ragnarök on the shoulder. "Come on, man. I've made every adjustment I can think of. Messing with anything else might cause the armor to explode on you or something. I guess I was wrong about the flaw being psychological."

"Eh, you gave it your best shot. Now let's go get some food. I'm starving."

* * *

Garfield Mark Logan, better known as Beast Boy, slammed his foot down into the final button on the dance pad, and then threw his arms up in victory. "WIN!" he cried. "Finally, I creamed Starfire at _Dance Dance Revolution_. Even if I had to transform into a squid to make it happen on three separate occasions!"

The green-skinned teenager's celebration was cut short when he opened his eyes to see the look on Starfire's face.

"What's wrong, Star?"

The orange-skinned Tamaranian princess looked at the ground and shook her head. "I do not know, Gar. It is Robin." Her red mane fell across her shoulders. "He has been acting strange all day. Especially strange, even stranger than his normal strange actions."

"You expect any less from Robin?" Beast Boy asked. "He was out on patrol late last night. He probably saw some really messed up stuff and is angsting about it. Sometimes I think Batman beat the guy."

"I think something else is up," came a familiar rasping voice. Beast Boy and Starfire turned to see Raven hovering towards them. "Robin has been upset over something all morning. I've felt it even through the locked doors of the crime lab. And last night I had a premonition that something bad is about to go down."

"Something bad!?" Starfire blurted. "No! This is horrible! Something bad 'went the down' just last week. Something bad will 'go the down' next week! Why can this week not have nothing bad going the down?"

"If that sentence meant what I think it does, then it's 'cause we're never that lucky," Beast Boy sighed.

About that time, Cyborg, Ragnarök, and Yin filed into the kitchen/operations room of Titans Tower and everyone moved towards the refridgerator. After a few moments, Robin showed up, and for a change, the Titans all ate lunch together.

"What's going on?" Robin asked them. He clearly had something else on his mind, but he was trying to be sociable.

"Not much." Ragnarök's answer came first. "I once again proved that I can't ride on rock platforms. Otherwise, been a dull morning."

"I beat your girlfriend at DDR," Beast Boy said, grinning and taking another bite of his tofu burger.

Robin scowled at Garfield's description of Starfire as his 'girlfriend'…

Yin shrugged. "I didn't sleep much. If we get a villain attack today, I'd be best off staying at the Tower."

"Hold that thought—" Raven said. "Someone is here."

"Huh?" Beast Boy asked with a full mouth.

Suddenly, the Tower proximity alarm went off and a klaxon began wailing that intruders were present on the property, but that they did not seem to be a threat.

The Titans immediately darted towards the elevator—though Robin and Starfire took the stairs and Raven teleported, beating everyone down—and to the Tower's front door.

Robin pressed a button on his belt, causing a screen by the door to turn on. Outside, a line of police cars blocked the bridge to the mainland of Jump City, and a swath of SWAT team members and uniformed officers stood outside the tower. At their lead, a young female detective with a megaphone stood looking up at the tower.

"Whoa…" Beast Boy gasped. "Who called the army?"

"I'll handle this," Robin said. He stepped forward and opened the door, then walked outside with his hands spread apart and empty. "I guess I know why you are here," he told the detective.

"Robin," she said. "I'm detective Regina Simmons. I'm placing you under arrest for the murder of Frank Newitt. I hate to do this son, but the case is pretty tight."

"I understand," Miss Simmons. Robin turned and glanced at Raven. "Rae. The murder weapon is in my room in a box underneath my bed. Bring it to the precinct."

At that statement all the cops gasped and all the Titans facevaulted.

"Are you admitting to the murder?" Simmons asked him, incredulously.

Robin turned and shook his head. "Of course not. I didn't kill anybody. But I am obviously guilty of tampering with evidence, and the murder weapon belongs to me. Resisting arrest will only bring me more trouble."

The crowd of cops holstered their weapons, though the SWAT team didn't; nevertheless, Robin was led to the back of the car without incident.

And the Teen Titans were left standing at their front door, confused and dumbfounded.

* * *

Fifty miles south, Los Angeles traffic was at its mid-day zenith, and a young woman of nineteen pulled her car into the lot of the building that housed Wright and Co Law offices. 

"Nick!" called the young Spirit Medium Maya Fey as she knocked on the door to his office. "I got those burgers you and Pearl Wanted."

Maya strode into the office with a big smile on her face and placed the burgers on the desk. "Nick?"

"In here, Maya," came the reply.

Maya Fey walked into the break room to see Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney and her nine-year-old cousin Pearl Fey glaring at each other intently over a small card table.

"B-Five," called Pearl.

"What!? No! Pearls, you just sunk my battleship!" Phoenix Wright muttered a few words about his luck. Even little kids beat him at board games—Pearl Fey had found that she was almost supernaturally good at both Battleship and Sudoku over the past year, and creamed 'Mr. Nick' in it every chance she got.

"Oh boy, burgers!" Pearl called, and ran off. "By the way, I beat you again, Mr. Nick! You're out of practice!"

Wright sighed as Maya took the seat next to him. "Why the long face, Nick?" She leaned forward with her characteristic big goofy smirk. "Am I wanted for another murder?"

"Not this time, Maya." Wright stood and strode across the room. "I just need a case. Preferably someone who can actually pay me for a change."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Maya said, hanging her head. "I can't think of anyone who has been accused of murder lately."

"Well, hopefully we'll get a break soon." Wright sat up and his eyes widened when he realized what he'd said. "Not that I want anyone to be wrongly accused of murder, of course!"

"It's okay," Maya said. "Still, there's no point in being emo on an empty stomach." She was suddenly exuberant again. "Let's eat before your burger gets cold!"

But as Wright strode into the front room, the phone at his desk rang. "Hm? Maybe a client. Or maybe Larry's just calling again to ask me to bum him some money." He put his mouth next to the receiver. "Wright and Co law offices, Phoenix Wright speaking."

"Hello, Mr. Wright," came a deep male voice on the other end. "This may sound strange, but—how would you like to defend a superhero…?"


	2. The Turnabout Courtroom

**Turnabout Titan  
Chapter Two: The Turnabout Courtroom**

The Teen Titans known as Raven, Cyborg, and Yin slowly entered the detention center and sat down across the transparent polymer barrier from their leader. The Titans had special privileges to visit criminals, and the guards were more than accommodating considering all the Titans had done from the city.

Raven reached out with her empathic senses—a biological gift from her demonic father Trigon—and determined there was very little hostility towards the Titans among the guards. "It's safe to talk, I think," Raven said.

The massive half-mechanical teenager Cyborg sat down by Raven and the much smaller, stretchier Yin rested on his shoulders. Finally, Cyborg spoke. "Raven and I took the box under your bed by the precinct. We didn't open it, so I guess it might be a good idea for you to tell us what is in it."

Robin hadn't said a thing since they had arrived, and still didn't speak for a moment. Finally, he answered. "Like I said, the murder weapon was in the box."

Raven frowned, allowing her violet hair to fall around her face slightly and sighing. "Robin, you do realize that possession of the murder weapon is the most incriminating thing possible in a case like this."

"I understand that," Robin said. Raven saw that his calm demeanor belied a maelstrom of emotion underneath. "But surrendering it looks better than trying to hide that I have it. I didn't kill that man, Raven."

"I understand that," she said.

"I believe you too," Cyborg said, "But this ain't going to be easy prove."

"This is going to go to trial, isn't it?" Yin said from atop Cyborg's shoulder.

Robin nodded. "This woman—Detective Simmons—she and the district attorney already presented the case to a grand jury before they even made the arrest. The trial—I don't know how long it will take."

"Something about that is especially bothersome to you, isn't it?" Raven asked pointedly.

"Last night," Robin said, "After I found the body and saw what had killed him, I panicked. I grabbed the murder weapon and ran back to the tower. And I called—_him._"

"Who?" Yin asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Who do ya think," Cyborg said, smacking the rubber teen across the head harmlessly. He means the Batman."

"And?" Raven asked…

Robin looked up. "He gave me an ultimatum."

* * *

** 3:50 AM, That Morning**

A jet as black as the night itself hovered above Jump City harbor, silent and almost invisible to the naked eye. Its owner stood before Robin on the roof of Titans Tower—the Dark Knight himself.

Batman's deep, gruff voice bore down on the Boy Wonder, not allowing him any quarter. "Robin. I'm not quite sure you understand the gravity of this situation. If you're convicted—which is likely given the evidence, then you'll have to unmask. And that will expose _all of us._"

"I understand that, Bruce," Robin spat. "I've been under a lot of pressure lately. This is the last thing I needed."

"Pressure?" Batman's voice was a low growl. "You put yourself under pressure every day. You put your life on the line every time you put on that costume."

"This is a different kind of pressure, Batman." Robin turned and looked out over the city. "When I saw that the murder weapon was my staff, I took it with the intent of cleaning it and hiding the evidence. It would look like he was shot to an untrained eye. The murder would likely go unsolved. That's why I couldn't bring myself to clean off the staff."

Batman arched an eyebrow under his black cowl, and the gears in his head obviously began turning in the way Robin was leading. "Are you saying that you plan to get arrested in order to expose the real murderer?"

"That wasn't what was running through my mind when I pulled the staff out of his chest—but that's the plan now."

"Robin, if this goes to trial, there will be a media frenzy. And if you are convicted, it will bring the entire metahuman community under scrutiny. You know that. Even when you were arrested before in Tokyo there were murmurs; those continued even after you were acquitted."

"Then we'll get the trial over with as fast as possible."

"Trials of this high-profile are never over quickly, Robin." Batman strode deliberately across the tower, stopping in front of Robin and leaning over his former sidekick. "And if your identity is made public, then everyone around us is in danger—Barbara, Nightwing, Alfred, Batgirl, Flamebird, Huntress and the Question. All of them will be vulnerable because of their ties to me."

"What are you saying?" Robin asked, keenly aware of the veiled threat in Batman's voice.

The Dark Knight's eyes narrowed behind his cowl to little more than thin white slits. "If your identity is exposed during the proceedings, I will personally shut down the Teen Titans. When you left Gotham, I forbade you to be Robin. But you continued, despite knowing how I felt about it. I've tolerated your continued operations without my approval, but I _will not tolerate_ your foolish actions putting the rest of us at risk. If you haven't been acquitted within a week, the League will intervene. Am I clear?"

Robin's expression matched Batman's note-for-note. "Yes, sir. I thought I could trust you with this. I guess I was wrong."

Batman began to walk away back to his jet, then he turned and glanced over his shoulder, and pulled his cowl from his head. The face of Bruce Wayne looked down at his estranged son with compassion. "Trust isn't the issue, Tim. Necessity is. Your legal bills will be covered discreetly. But I can't offer any more help than that. I'm needed in Gotham."

And with that, the Batman vanished back to his plane, returning to Gotham before the noon-day sun required Bruce Wayne to appear at his office.

* * *

"A _week?_" Cyborg blurted. "There is no way we're gonna figure this out in a week."

"There might be," Yin, jumping down and walking across to Robin. "If you use the Turnabout Courtroom system, the trial has to be finished in three days, for better or worse."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "The Turnabout Courtroom system? I'm not familiar with that terminology."

Yin goggled. "How could you not know about that? There was that huge stink with amending the Constitution and all three years ago. Heck, I remember it and I was eleven at the time."

"Three years ago?" Robin asked. "I was… preoccupied then." His tone made it clear he wanted to say no more on the subject, and Raven didn't blame him. She knew only vague details of what had happened that caused Robin and Batman to split apart, but even that sent chills up her spine.

"The Turnabout Courtroom system requires that all trails finish within three days, and that's perfect if we want to expose the real murderer."

"How do you figure that?" Cyborg asked.

"Think about it—if someone is trying to frame you, chances are they'll be around to make sure it works." Yin made his index finger one foot long and began using it as a pointer. "And if this person is called to give testimony, there should be obvious contradictions in their statements."

"I hate to say this," Raven picked up, "But Yin is right. If you go through the new justice channels you might have a chance to get this over with before your reputation suffers any significant damage."

Robin shook his head. "There's still the problem of the photo that little boy took. If the jury gets one look at that, I'll be convicted faster than Kid Flash can lap the world."

"Um…" Yin sweatdropped. "Yeah, I forgot to mention something. In the Turnabout Courtroom system there _is_ no jury. It's just a judge. Only one man to convince that you're innocent."

Robin goggled. "No jury? You've got to be kidding me! I'm not going to trial without a jury."

"You may not have a choice," Raven said. "But working the Turnabout Courtroom system will require something more than your run-of-the mill lawyer."

"Like?"

"I have just the guy!" Yin said. "I've been following his career for years now. He started around the same time the Turnabout system did, so he's not an old school lawyer."

Robin began sweating. "I'm going to go to trial without a jury, defended by a guy who has been practicing for only three years? Heaven help me."

Yin smirked and grabbed Cyborg's arm, opening a side panel on the limb and dialing a certain Los Angeles phone number.

"His name is Phoenix Wright," Yin said. "He'll get the job done! He's only lost one case his whole career, and the guy was guilty as sin anyway."

Suddenly, Cyborg's arm-phone stopped ringing and a youngish male voice answered the phone. _"Wright and Co Law offices, Phoenix Wright speaking."  
_  
Cyborg goggled. "Hello, Mr. Wright," he said. "How would you like to defend a superhero?"

There was silence on the line for a good thirty seconds. _"Excuse me?"_ the man finally said.

"This is Cyborg of the Teen Titans. It's not exactly public knowledge yet outside of Jump City, but Robin—yeah, the Batman's Robin—has been arrested."

Robin said something to the effect of 'Hey, Batman doesn't own me!'

The voice on the phone finally spoke again. "You're completely serious?"

"Dead serous, I'm afraid. Robin opted to use the Turnabout Courtroom system and I've heard from a quasi-reliable source that you're one of the best attorneys around."

"Gee… That's nice of him. Or her," Wright's voice was torn between skeptical, embarrassed, and flattered. "So you want me to come to Jump City?"

"Yeah," Cyborg said. "If it's not too much trouble. And if it is, I can fly out there and pick you up."

"Oh, no, no trouble at all," Wright said. He was obviously lying, but Cyborg wasn't about to look the gift horse in the mouth. "I'll be out there in about two hours. Know any good hotels?"

Cyborg smirked. "Now we're talkin'!"

* * *

Maya was looking over everything in sight when she, Phoenix, and her cousin Pearl arrived in the semi-luxurious Grand Leap Hotel in the middle of Jump City. They'd never traveled much during her time under his wing, and, well, everything about Jump City was foreign to them. Los Angeles didn't have any major superheroes, and there were certainly no giant T-Shaped towers that Wright knew of.

He dumped his—and Maya's, and Pearl's—suitcases in their room and told Maya to watch her cousin while he went headed down stairs and took a cab to the detention center.

The room where Phoenix found his meeting place with Robin was much larger than the detention center meeting room back in LA, but not by much. Across the glass, the Boy Wonder looked up. There was an understandable skepticism in his eyes.

By the window, two figures sat. One was a young woman that looked about Maya's age (which probably meant she was about seventeen, since Maya looked young for her age); she had an odd pale grey shade of skin and indigo hair. She wore navy-blue cloak fastened at the top by a golden brooch that depicted a black bird against a red background.

Next to her was a guy who must have been at least six foot tall. He was built like a linebacker, with an emphasis on being _built_. His entire body, with the exception of parts of his head and arms, seemed to be made of robotic parts.

"Raven and Cyborg, I presume," Wright said.

"Yeah, that's us," Cyborg said, extending a hand to the attorney. "The rest of the team headed back to the Tower. The police are going over it right now."

"The Tower?" Wright asked. "Oh, you must mean that T-Shaped building out in the harbor. How do you get out there?"

"A bridge comes out of the ocean," Cyborg explained, matter-of-factly.

"A bridge? Out of the ocean? Really?"

"It's really not as impressive as it sounds," Raven said. Or at least, Wright thought was Raven. The voice that was coming from a teenage girl sounded more appropriate for a middle aged woman.

"Ahem," Robin said from across the glass. "My bail is set at over five million dollars and my… benefactor decided not to deliver. Mr. Wright, if you want to talk to me, you'll need to do it now before visiting hours are over."

_What have you gotten yourself into, Wright?_ Phoenix sat down across from Robin and reached into his pocket. "First things first. I need to know if you are really innocent of this crime or not."

"I am." Robin said evenly.

"Can you be more specific than that?" Phoenix asked, remember the word game a previous client played to avoid this interrogation. He clutched the item in his pocket even more tightly.

Robin narrowed his eyes. "I did _not_ kill Frank Newitt; I'm not involved in any way with his death."

Raven gave him a wry grin. "That'll get you off the hook for sure."

Wright glanced over at her. _Great. It seems like sarcasm is a skill of my associates no matter where I go._ He turned back to Robin and smiled. "Well, she might not be convinced, but it was enough for me. I need to know everything you know about the case. Don't leave out any details; I want as few things to blind side me as possible when this goes to trial tomorrow."

Robin sat back. "Okay, here it is."

The Boy Wonder proceeded to tell the Wright what had happened, every detail he knew, supposedly. Both men leaned back in their chairs, Wright looking more worried than Robin.

"Wow."

"What?"

Phoenix stood up and stretched. "Well, I've taken cases that seemed more hopeless than this, but not by much."

Cyborg stood beside Wright. "The dude who suggested hiring you said you were the best in the business. I guess that counts for something."

Phoenix felt his face heat up. _Great, they're putting their faith in me. I _hate_ it when people do that! _"I'll do my best," he said. Wright reached into his left pocket and handed Robin and Cyborg both his business card. "I'm staying at the Grand Leap Hotel, and my cell number is on this card. I may be crazy, but I'm officially on the case."

"Good." Robin said. "You look like a rank amateur, but I can see you have more fight in you than you let on. But let me make this clear. If there is any motion that I have to de-mask during the court, you have to fight tooth and nail to prevent it. If my secret identity goes, there are a lot of people who will be in danger. I hate to bring a civilian into this, but right now there's no other way."

Raven looked up from her book. "Yeah, Kate Spencer is busy settling the Siegel and Shuster lawsuit with DC Comics."

Wright gave her an inquisitive look. "Who?"

"Never mind."

Wright nodded. "Well, _this _was productive. I need to go check on my… own sidekicks."

And with that, he turned and left.

* * *

"He seems like a nice guy," Cyborg said. "But the real question is, can he win it?"

"I don't think he can," Robin said. "I don't think anyone could at this point. If that photo hadn't been taken…"

"It is okay, Tim," Raven said. "There is more to this attorney than meets the eye. When asked you whether or not you committed the murder, I felt a swell of spiritual energy."

"What?" Robin arched an eyebrow. Raven was the Titans' resident magic-user, and if she felt spiritual energy, she probably knew what she was talking about.

"I think he has something called a Magatama. It allows him to know when people are hiding things, and that's why he had you be so specific."

Cyborg shrugged. "I don't know, man, that guy doesn't really seem like the spirits'n'spells type. He looked almost freaked out by me and you."

Raven nodded. "We'll see what happens. For now, I think we might have more pressing concerns."

"Huh?"

"I can feel Ragnarök and Starfire heading this way, and both of them are upset."

No sooner than Raven had spoke, the door burst open and the same two Titans that Raven named entered the room. "Cyborg, Raven, come quick!" Starfire implored.

Ragnarök backed her up. "The cops at the Tower said they found something on the computer that was 'extremely incriminating.' But the refused to tell me what the snorkel it was."

Starfire continued. "Beast Boy said it had something to do with the victim, but he was unable to read the entirety of the file before they took it." The Tamaranian princess flew over to the glass divider and looked at Robin. She gazed at him as though she was trying see his eyes behind the black white slits in his mask. "Robin, please—tell me that you have nothing about the victim on our machine of computing!"

"I have no idea who Frank Newitt was," Robin said. "I certainly didn't have any data about him on our computer. This only proves that whoever is framing me has planned this very well."

"We'll handle this," Cyborg said. "Tim, you stay frosty. This is probably just a misunderstanding."

The two Titans vanished with Starfire and Ragnarök, leaving Robin alone with his thoughts.

Robin sighed. "Somehow, I doubt it will be as easy as they make it sound," he said to the empty room.

* * *

"THEY DID WHAT?!" Cyborg blurted, standing over the relatively diminutive Beast Boy.

"They said there was some important evidence on Robin's section of the Hard Drive, so they copied it and took it with them," Beast Boy winced as he waited for Cyborg to freak out over the damage.

"Wait, so they only copied _Robin's_ files?" Cyborg sighed with relief. Beast Boy sighed too, relieved that the Titan's resident tech-wizard hadn't cried.

"What was so important that they had to take it?" Raven asked, hovering over to where Beast Boy and Cyborg were talking.

"Detective Simmons said that she found evidence related to the _motive_ of the crime. Why would Robin have anything about that guy on his computer?" Beast Boy sighed. He felt like turning into a gnat and disappearing. But even that wouldn't make the frustration go away.

"The trial tomorrow will be the place where we debunk whatever this is they found." Raven said. "But until then in might be good to know what they found so we can give Mr. Wright some ammunition."

Raven sat down and began to log onto Robin's profile.

"Are you crazy, Raven?" Cyborg walked up behind her. "Even I've not been able to crack Bird Boy's password."

Raven glanced up at him, typed a few keystrokes, and she was in within seconds. "Being an empath helps," she said. After a few moments of scanning and searching, she glanced up at Cyborg. "Vic; this evidence is convincing, but it couldn't have been produced by Robin. But we'll need proof of that, and the best way to get that would be to call the Justice League. Tell Mr. Terrific that we need a record of all inter-stellar traffic in the Milky Way for fall of this year."

Cyborg shrugged, walked over to an auxiliary computer terminal, and complied.

* * *

_Here I go again. Alright, Wright. You can do this._

As Phoenix, Maya and Pearl entered the courtroom, they looked across the way to see Robin standing near a couple of police officers. He was handcuffed, but just by looking at him, Wright got the sense that Robin was not obeying the cops because he had no choice, but because he simply respected them. The idea that a kid who could single-handedly take out a troupe of evil robots was actually at the mercy of a couple cops seemed a bit silly.

Though, admittedly, so did his costume, the cape and utility belt removed.

"Robin," he said, nodding at his young client. "Are you ready for this?"

"Won't be the first time I've been in a courtroom," Robin said. "Let's go."

"WAIT!"

Wright and Robin jerked their heads to see the rest of the now-seven-strong Teen Titans rushing up towards them. As they walked, the green-skinned one, who Wright knew was called Beast Boy was signing autographs from random adoring fangirls that approached him.

One of the Titans, a kid in green armor, walked over to him. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Wright. I'm Ragnarök. By the way, nice hair."

"Nice to meet you to," he replied absently. Ragnarök smiled broadly, and Phoenix realized that Ragnarök's haircut was almost identical to his own. Wright sweatdropped.

"You know, in my universe, you're a video game character."

"That's.. interesting." _I'm beginning to think that this young man is completely out of his mind._

About this time, Maya and Pearl arrived by Phoenix's side, both smiling broadly. "I hope the author doesn't randomly forget about us once the trial starts," Pearl said.

Cyborg and Beast Boy winced as the fourth wall collapsed.

"It's okay, Pearly. I'll buy you a shake if he does."

"Yay! By the way, what is a universe?"

Ragnarök's eyes widened as he realized Pearl was addressing the question to him. "Actually, that's not so easy to explain. A universe is… well, everything. But there is more than one everything, and I'm from a different everything than what you're from. If that makes any sense."

The little nine-year-old shook her head. "Not really."

Ragnarök frowned. Then he gasped when his green armor suddenly turned black, coated in dark, writhing energy. Raven's signature power wrapped him up and levitated him out of the way.

"Mr. Wright," she said--

Just then, the bailiff called for the trial to commence.

"I'm sorry, it will have to wait," Phoenix dismissed her, beginning to walk off…"

"No, it can't." Raven handed him a small manila folder full of papers. "You'll have to look over this on the fly, but trust me, it's important."

The bailiff called again for the trial to start, and Wright nodded, heading off to the courtroom. Time to go to work.

* * *

**December 17th, 2008**

**10:19 AM**

**Jump City District Courthouse**

**Courtroom B**

The loud _WHUMP _of a judge's gavel slamming down signaled that the court was in session.

Wright glanced up, feeling utterly unprepared for the case he was about to argue. Then he was utterly blindsided. Across the aisle from him, in the prosecution's stand, was none other than Franziska von Karma. A young woman no older than Maya, the blue-haired Franziska was the daughter of a former Los Angeles prosecutor Manfred Von Karma.

The elder von Karma was no longer among the living, but his daughter had flown all the way in from Germany to take her revenge against Phoenix Wright and her adopted brother, prosecutor Miles Edgeworth—Edgeworth for losing to Wright, and Wright for getting her father convicted of a crime.

"Wh…What are you doing here!?" Wright blurted as soon as he saw Franziska. Well, as soon as the shock wore off.

She smiled savagely at him. "Foolish fool who foolishly asks foolish questions."

_CRACK!_

Her whip lashed out and smashed into Phoenix's arm.

"Ouch!"

"Mr. Phoenix Wright, I would follow you to the ends of the Earth to exact my revenge on the shame you have brought to the von Karma name."

The gavel struck once again, and both prosecutor and defense attorney glanced up at the judge. "Is the prosecution ready?" he asked in a heavy British accent.

Franziska von Karma bowed. "Read as ever, Your Honor."

"Is the defense ready?"

Wright goggled. "Y-yes sir. If you don't mind my asking, why are you in Jump City? And why are you speaking with a British accent?"

The Judge seemed taken aback. "What kind of question is that, good sir? I preside over this district court. I've never heard a case anywhere _but_ jolly ole' Jump County."

Wright began sweating… "But… you… my cases… in… LA…" He couldn't find the words to stammer, and just stared blankly at the Judge. _This is getting weirder and weirder…_

"OH!" His Honor finally gasped. "You must mean my twin brother! He's a fairly important Judge down there." The Judge glanced down at the court record, then over at Phoenix, as if something had suddenly clicked in his mind.

"Your Honor?" Wright asked, not liking the look in the Judge's eyes…

"Good heavens!" he exclaimed. "You're the infamous Phoenix Wright? The one who threatened to hire an assassin to kill my brother?"

"WHAT!?!" Wright blurted. "I did no such thing!" _I never realized the Judge back home was so paranoid…_

"You have the look of a guilty man, Mr. Wright," the British Judge said. "Be warned, I'll be keeping my eye on you."

_This case is going to be hell. _Wright thought. _I can feel it in my bones._

"Don't give up, Nick," Maya said. He glanced to his right to see the girl standing next to him. "I'll be here for you. And Mia will too if you need her."

Wright nodded. Maya, the spirit medium, had a few talents that could come in_ very_ handy. Summoning the dead, for instance.

For a moment, the Judge continued to read the case file, and then slammed down his gavel one last time. "Without further ado, I believe it's time to get this trial underway. Miss von Karma, if you will, please call your first witness."

"Very well." Franziska smirked wickedly. "I call Detective Regina Simmons to the stand."

* * *

Across the room in the defendant's chair, Robin watched the scene unfold in horror.

"This isn't a trial," he growled. "It's a _circus_."


	3. Trial Day One

**Author's Note: **_Sorry it's taken me so long to produce this chapter. I've been consumed by homework in my algebra course, and I've not had much free time. Thanks for being patient._

* * *

**Turnabout Titan**

**Chapter Three: Trial Day One**

Regina Simmons had never once expected to testify against Robin of the Teen Titans. In a way, it was thanks to Robin that she even held the position of detective; her predecessor was one of the greatest detectives on the force, and someone Regina was proud to call a mentor…

Until the day that Robin revealed that he had been involved in a bribery scandal. Shortly after the Titans' first battle against a criminal mastermind known as Slade, Robin began to suspect corruption in the JCPD, and corruption he found. And psychologically, Regina knew her mentor was guilty. But in her heart, she couldn't help feel a tiny tinge of satisfaction in testifying against Robin. She hated herself for it, but it had to happen. The evidence was pretty clear that, despite all he had done for the city in the past, Robin was now a murderer.

"Please, begin your testimony," said the British Judge.

Regina nodded, took a deep breath, and began. "The victim's body was found at approximately 4:30 this morning. The murder took place on the roof of a restaurant known as the Obstinate Nickel, across the street from the Time Warp Theatre."

"_Hold it!" _Called the voice of Phoenix Wright. Regina looked up to see the attorney tapping on his desk, apparently in deep thought.

"Yes, Mr. Wright?" Regina asked.

"Who found the victim's body?"

Regina had expected that question. "A tenant at a nearby apartment. There is a large apartment complex that wraps around the northern and western sides of the Obstinate Nickel in the shape of an L, and the roof of the restaurant is visible from the upper floors of that building. Naturally, it would be disconcerting to look out one's window and see a corpse lying on a building's roof."

Wright nodded. "Alright, continue."

"The victim, Mr. Frank Newitt, lived in an apartment building adjacent to the restaurant, and likely climbed out of his window onto the roof of the restaurant before he was attacked. The body was found propped up against a climate control unit on the roof of the restaurant, and the cause of death was blood loss due to being stabbed in through the heart by a cylindrical object."

_"Hold it!"_

"Yes, Mr. Wright?"

"A 'cylindrical' object? Wouldn't it take a considerable amount of force to ram a cylindrical object through a person's chest?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, but given the narrow diameter of the object in question, it's conceivable that a human, even without any meta-human powers, could produce enough force to accomplish this."

The detective looked up from her notes and gasped when she realized that Wright was sweating profusely, a worried expression all over his face. _This guy clearly is not a professional. I bet he's never won a case in his life._

"Anyway," she continued. "The time of death was determined to be between 11:30 PM and 12:30 AM." With that, Detective Simmons reached into her court record and removed several copies of the Autopsy Report, distributing them to all parties involved.

"And now, I have the murder weapon."

* * *

Phoenix Wright gulped. He'd heard Robin say the murder weapon belonged to him, but seeing the detective pull out a five-foot long metal staff, the end of which was covered in the victim's coagulated blood, made him nervous.

"Please tell us about the murder weapon," said Franziska von Karma.

"The murder weapon was brought to the precinct by Raven and Cyborg of the Teen Titans, Your Honor." Regina held the 'business end' up for the Judge to view. "As you can all clearly see, the end of the staff is covered in blood. Testing has confirmed that the blood belonged to Frank Newitt. The only finger prints found on the weapon were those of the victim, which is understandable given that Robin, like most superheroes, tends to wear gloves."

Wright stood up and looked across at Franziska. She didn't return his gaze, but rather was looking down at her court record files, smiling savagely. "Well, we've at least clearly established one thing."

"I see—what is that?" asked the Judge.

"That the victim was murdered with a metal staff." Wright spoke evenly, trying to avoid coming across sarcastic or snarky. "However, none of this proves that my client was the one who committed the murder."

Von Karma looked up and smiled broadly. "Foolish fool. You foolishly open your mouth and emit foolish words before thinking your foolish statements through!"

_CRACK! _ Another lash of her whip struck out, this time leaving a red mark across Wright's forehead.

"I would not have come in here to this courtroom and proceeded with this trial without proof that your client is guilty, Mr. Phoenix Wright."

_I still hate it when she uses my full name like that. _Wright sat down, and looked over at Maya. "Hand me my water, please."

"Sure thing, Nick," replied the young woman. She handed him a bottle, and Wright took a swig before standing back up.

"Okay, then who are you going to call to the stand now?" He took another swig of water.

"I shall call someone who was an eye-witness to the murder to the stand."

"WHAT!?!?!?!?" Wright blurted, spewing his water all over his desk.

"You heard me correctly, Mr. Phoenix Wright. Someone who saw what happened with his own eyes. It is truly tragic."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow when he saw a tear fall from Franziska's eye. "Huh.. What's tragic?" _She's got to be faking this! Franziska von Karma would never cry…_

"The witness is but a mere child. And up until last night, he was a huge fan of this foolishly foolish 'Robin' character. Now, his dreams are crushed."

**_CRASH BOOM BAM SMASH!_**

Von Karma was suddenly perky—in her typically evil manner—again. "Ah, here he comes now."

"I don't wanna do this!" a pre-pubescent voice shouted as young boy took the witness stand. "Robin was my hero. I better get a book deal if I have to destroy the guy."

The kid was clearly distraught, red faced with rage and sadness. Though there was still a childish selfishness in his eyes. Wright feared the testimony he would bring to bear in the courtroom.

The Judge slammed his gavel against his desk. "Alright, order in the court, please. Witness, please state your name and occupation."

"Well, my name is Ed Bloominflaur, yer honor, but I have no idea what an 'occupation' is."

The Judge goggled a bit, but then nodded. "Yes, I see. You are a bit too young to have one yet. You are a student at Murakami Primary School, I believe."

"That's right. I guess an 'occupation' is something I get during puberty then," Eddie said.

"Not quite." Von Karma's voice silenced the boy. "Now, give us your testimony. What did you see the night of the murder?"

"It was amazing!" Ed blurted. "I mean, I was lying in my bed, and suddenly I heard a loud crash. So I looked out the window, and there was—Robin! And I was standing over top of the Frank guy, holding out this bo-staff."

"_HOLD IT!" _Wright cried. "Wait a minute, wait… did you just say _you_ were standing over the victim?"

Ed goggled. "Um? What? Of course not! I was in my room…"

Von Karma cracked her whip onto Wright's table, barely missing his wrist. "Foolish fool. Clearly my witness is projecting himself onto the action. Remember, Robin was this boy's hero—before last night's tragic events."

Wright frowned. _The way Franziska is smiling, I doubt she considers anything at all about last night a tragedy._

Ed Bloominflaur regained his composure and nodded. "Yeah, that's it." He gave a nervous chuckle and shrugged. "I can get a little carried away when I'm tellin' a story."

"Do not let it happen again," said Franziska.

Wright glanced over at Maya. "You think I should press him farther?"

"I dunno," Maya said. "When I get Steel Samurai Euphoria, sometimes I forget I'm not him myself."

Wright facevaulted and fell back into his chair. "The defense rests for now, Your Honor."

Edward nodded, then continued. "Anyway, I took a picture of him standing there, and then—he stabbed the guy in the chest with the bo. I thought it was a bad guy at first, so I took another picture as a souvenir. When I showed them to my daddy the next morning, he told me I had to give them to the cops."

"Photos? As in, more than one?" Wright asked, suddenly deeply troubled… _Robin only told me about one photo. If he took more than one, it could break this case._

"This is news!" the judge said with a gasp. "Miss von Karma, please submit this photo into the court record. This is very damning evidence!"

Franziska smiled, and bowed. "Your Honor, I assure you the photo is the least of the worries our so-called Boy Wonder has in-store. Nevertheless, a von Karma is perfect, and will comply."

And so she did. Copies of a photo were distributed to the Judge and Wright, and Phoenix almost had a heart attack when he saw their contents.

It was Robin, alright, standing over the body of Frank Newitt, both facing south and lit up from the west—the flash of the camera, Phoenix figured. The left side of the defendant, and the bo-staff itself, were bathed in the red light of the clock on the Time Warp Theatre, and it was impossible to see in the low-resolution photo if any blood had already been shed.

Wright's stomach sank as low as it would go.

"Don't give up yet," came a familiar voice from right beside him…

And it wasn't Maya's voice. Wright turned to see that his apprentice was now six feet tall, her cleavage bursting out of her purple robes. There was no more mousiness, only beauty, because it was no longer Maya Fey in that chair, but her older, dearly departed sister.

"Mia!" Wright gasped. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Maya summoned me when she saw the photo," Mia said. "I spoke to Frank Newitt himself before he was taken to the other side of the Door."

"The Door?" Wright asked.

"Never mind. Wright," Mia looked down at the photo. "Robin didn't kill this man, but you're going to need to stall this trial. The investigation isn't over. You already have one critical piece of evidence. The rest is up to you. Think about it in a different way. Don't try and prove Robin didn't commit the murder yet—instead, raise reasonable doubt that he did. Force the trial to last till tomorrow. There's one option you haven't tried yet—something you rarely ever do. Do it."

"Thanks for the usual cryptic help," Wright deadpanned.

The judge smashed his gavel down against his table. "Well, it seems that this case is quite clear… As much as it pains me to admit it, our hero has become a murderer. I will pronounce a verdict right now, if there is nothing more the defense has to say."

"What about the other photo?" Ed asked… then he had a whip smack him across the face.

"Foolish boy," Franziska said. "You would do well not to speak out of turn."

"He raises a good point," the judge said. "The other photo, the one of the actual moment of the murder—where is it?"

"Unfortunately," Franziska said with a sigh, "our young photographer didn't have the flash on when the second photo was taken. This photo more clearly demonstrates the guilt of the defendant, if only because it is obvious that it is indeed him."

"Nevertheless, I would like to see the photo."

"Unfortunately, Your Honor—" Franziska bowed—"I left it at the District Attorney's office, as I did not see it as relevant to the case."

Wright narrowed his eyes at her. _What is she trying to pull this time._

The judge frowned, but then shook his head. "Very well. I believe we have more than enough to establish the defendant's guilt. If the defense has nothing else to say…"

Wright sat back, staring across the way at the defendant, holding the photo in his hands. He dropped it and began thumbing through the pages Raven had given him, but still nothing clicked…. A bunch of dates for space-traffic in Earth's star system—but it was all for September, October, and November—none of it in this month… He didn't see the relevance.

"I…" Wright glanced at Robin, and Robin stood up. "My client would like to speak… I think."

"I would _like_ to take the stand," Robin said. "I want to tell my version of the story, not some lie concocted by a twelve year old kid."

The judge glanced down at von Karma. "Does the prosecution have any problems with this?"

"Of course not," Franziska said. "My case is perfect. No child in a brightly colored bird costume is going to destroy it."

Robin sat down in the witness' chair, casting a glance at von Karma. "Your confidence in me is overwhelming," he spat.

"Please, stop insulting the prosecution and testify," the Judge said. Robin let the fact she had insulted him first slide, and began.

"The night of the murder—last night—I had been tracking a series of cars being stolen for a chop shop. I found them, busted them up, and started to leave, when I noticed my staff was missing."

"You were sure you didn't just forget it?" Von Karma said.

Robin just glared at her, his only response. "I ran outside and saw someone who I thought may have been up to six feet tall driving away on a motorcycle. I got on my own bike and followed him, and he led me into an alley."

"You followed a stranger into an alley? Not very smart," von Karma said.

"He stole something from me. I wanted to know why."

"Fair enough," von Karma said.

"When I went in, I saw the bike discarded and crashed into a wall." Robin leaned back. "I thought I'd lost his trail, until I heard a crash on a rooftop across the street. I used my grapple gun to get up onto the roof, and found the victim."

"And then you killed him," von Karma said casually.

Robin's eyes narrowed dangerously. "He was already dead when I got there, and the murder weapon was my own staff. So I panicked and pulled the staff out of his chest. At that point, there was a flash. I looked up to see the kid—Bloominflaur—aiming a camera at me. At that point, I ran."

"You ran? What did you run for? If you did not commit the murder—"

"With all due respect, Miss von Karma, I doubt you've ever been framed for murder. I knew it was a set up as soon as I found that man impaled on my staff. And in retrospect, I probably could have handled it better. But this is the truth."

The whip cracked out and smacked Robin across the face, drawing a small grunt of pain.

Robin rubbed his face where the whip had struck and growled. "Do not do that again."

She ignored him. "Whether you speak truly or not, young 'hero' is up to this court to decide." Her German accent somehow made the words even more insulting.

The Judge once again struck with his gavel. "Indeed, and though you speak convincingly, Occam's Razor dictates that the simplest explanation is the most likely one." 

"This is a murder trial!" Robin snapped. "If you pronounce me guilty now, without having proved beyond any reasonable doubt that I committed this crime, then you've done a disservice to your post."

"I'm sorry, son, but the evidence is clear," the Judge raised said. "This court finds the defendant, Mr. Robin of the Teen Titans…" Robin gulped, and began to grow faint… "_OBJECTION!"_

All heads in the courtroom turned to Phoenix Wright, who was now standing, leaning over his desk with his hands firmly pressing down on it, supporting all his weight as he glared dangerously at von Karma.

"You may speak, Mr. Wright."

"Your Honor, we've proven that Robin has the means and the opportunity, but we've left out one very important facet. _Robin has no motive to kill the defendant! _According to the profile I was given by the prosecution, Frank Newitt was a simple journeyman working at a paper factory. He has no criminal record—in fact, he has no record of anything at all in Jump City prior to the year 2003. What could possibly motivate the city's premier hero to kill this guy?"

Phoenix was smiling broadly from ear to ear, and let Franziska see it. _This is what was Mia trying to tell me. We know he could have done it, but why would Robin do something like this…? There's no logic to it. All murders have a motive, even if it's simple sadism._

Unfortunately, when Wright began to focus, he noticed that von Karma did not looked worried. In fact, she was smiling herself.

"This is indeed a qualm," the British Judge said. "But the self-satisfaction evident on the face of the prosecutor may make it a moot point. Sorry ol' chap."

"I was wondering when you would fall into my trap, Mr. Phoenix Wright." Von Karma licked her lips and reached into her court record once again. "Please behold, a set of computer records taken from the defendant's very own computer by the police."

"Oh dear…" Wright said…

"No," Mia said. "Don't worry. She thinks she trapped you, Wright. But really, you trapped her, because you forced her to bring up evidence—evidence that can be contradicted, unlike the innuendo she was using up till this point."

"You think I can debunk this?" Nick goggled, glancing at her.

"Find out what it is, first," Mia said. "Then go for it."

"The dead woman thinks too highly of you, Mr. Phoenix Wright." Von Karma distributed copies of the evidence to him and the Judge. "This evidence indicates that Robin was, in fact, tracking the defendant's every move."

"But why?" Wright blurted.

"Quit simple," said von Karma. "The victim's computer also contained some very incriminating evidence—incriminating for your client, that is. Files on his computer show that the so-called paper salesman Frank Newitt actually knew that the secret identity 'Robin' is, in reality, a young man… _named Timothy Drake."_

Silence fell throughout the courtroom at first, them people in the audience began to murmur. "Who is Timothy Drake?" Wright asked after a moment.

"None other than the adopted son of one Bruce Wayne, whom I believe needs no introduction. Philanthropy, wild sexual escapades, inheriting billions of dollars the night his parents were murdered. But what if there was more? What if it were revealed that Robin was Bruce Wayne's son?"

Wright's heart began to sink.

Franziska continued, her sinister smirk not diminishing. "What if it were revealed that Bruce Wayne is more than meets the eye—if he is indeed the mysterious vigilante known as the Batman. _That _would destroy many other masked heroes that you Americans find so fascinating. Of course Robin had a motive—his motive for murder was simply this—to protect his identity, and thereby the identities of his associates." She turned to regard Robin. "What do you have to say about this? Have you ever heard the name Timothy Drake before?"

Robin narrowed his eyes. "I am not him, but the name…I have heard it before." His stony face was impossible to read behind that mask.

A cacophony of gasps, then the courtroom sat in stunned silence, so thick you could hear the Atom hit the ground in his smallest form, or the sound of one hand clapping.

Finally, Wright muttered. "She really did have a perfect case."

_**THWACK**_

Nick recoiled from the blow, glancing to his right to see Mia glaring at him from behind Maya's eyes. "Don't give up yet, Wright. She's used evidence, and I know Robin is innocent. Ergo, it must be forged evidence. Think about it. Ask questions."

Wright looked over the files; both what was on Robin's computer and what was on Newitt's looked authentic enough. Finally, Nick nodded. "Alright. What about the dates on the files?"

The Judge looked curious. _Grew up before the information age, after all._

So he began to explain. "Anyone could have forged documents and placed them on the respective computers—anyone with enough skill. But the files would still have the dates they were created written somewhere on them. When were they made?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Phoenix Wright." Von Karma glanced at Detective Simmons. "The detective had the files checked, and all of them were created well before this murder occurred. Robin's own profile for Mr. Newitt was created on the 8th of October, 2008."

"This year?" Wright asked.

"Yes, but more than two months ago," she said. "More than enough time to plan this atrocity."

_You seem _**so**_ sympathetic,_ Wright thought.

"Now's your chance, Phoenix." Mia said. "Find the flaw in the evidence. It should be obvious."

Wright cringed. "Yeah… Obvious." He began thumbing through the files. The autopsy report didn't help him any… the flight schedule still seemed irrelevant. The photo only incriminated Robin. So what did he need?

Then, it hit him… He thumbed towards the point in the file where he knew he's sent it…

_Here it is!_ Near the top of the flight list, a simple line that read: _TEEN TITANS – OUTBOUND in the T-SHIP.._

He stood up and presented the evidence to the court, and explained what it was. Wright read the line out loud to the courtroom. "_Passengers: **Robin**, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Ragnarök_—and this is the important part—_Departure Date: October **7th**, 2008."_

For the first time all day, Franziska looked almost worried.

Nick continued. "Then, near the bottom, their return date. Same crew list, same ship—_**October 10th, 2008.**"_

Now von Karma was definitely worried.

"Your Honor," Wright said. "I submit to you that Robin could not have created that file on October 8th, 2008—because _**he wasn't even on the planet at the time!**" _

Nick slammed his hands down on his desk for effect, and it was almost as though the sound waves were physically painful to von Karma, as she jerked back, recoiling from the sting. Wright's cell phone music began blaring loudly in his head—it was sort of his personal anthem, in his own mind.

The court erupted into a fit of murmurs, and the Judge had to use his gavel to silence them. "This is an alarming development indeed! If this evidence checks out, then Mr. Wright's earlier point about the defendant not having a motive stands. Can the prosecution produce any evidence that counters this?"

Through gritted teeth, von Karma replied. "No, Your Honor. Not at the moment."

The Judge nodded. "In that case, with the possibility of forged evidence having tainted the facts of the matter, I have decided to end today's' proceedings and continue tomorrow after further investigation."

Robin, Phoenix, and all of the Titans breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Mia patted Nick on the back. "I knew you could do this," she said. "Wright, always remember that when forged evidence is used in court, the _real_ facts of the case should refute it."

The Judge looked down from his bench, then struck one last time with his gavel.

"This court is adjourned."


	4. Illegal Evidence

**Turnabout Titan   
Chapter Four: Illegal Evidence**

Robin sat back in his chair and sighed. "There aren't many ways that could have gone worse."

"Chill out, dude," said Cyborg. "We got the trial suspended another day, and you didn't have to unmask."

"It doesn't matter," Robin said, glancing up at Cyborg. Vic immediately and intuitively understood that he didn't want to indicate to Phoenix Wright that von Karma had been _right_ about who he and Batman were. Robin continued. "If they think they've discovered who I am, they'll attack me anyway. If they think they know Batman is Bruce Wayne, they'll attack Mr. Wayne anyway."

Robin shot a glance at Wright. "I know of one person other than Wayne himself that knows what happened to Tim Drake."

"Then you aren't him?" Wright asked, stroking his chin.

"Drake is dead," Robin replied evenly. "And the only person I know of who can prove that is Dr. Leslie Thompkins of Gotham City."

"I can look into that," Raven said somberly.

Cyborg glanced at her, and saw something in her violet eyes that might have indicated some unspoken understanding with Robin, but he let it slide. Robin was going to have some woman that Vic had never heard of give false testimony—all in order to protect Batman and his 'family'…

Starfire smiled weakly at Robin. "It is okay. We will find a way to win this case. I refuse to believe you are capable of such a horrible crime, just as I refused to believe you murdered the Saiko-Tec in Tokyo."

Yin slithered forward and sprang up in between Cyborg and Nick. "By the way, if you need proof that Batman isn't Bruce Wayne, I've definitely got that in spades. I used to think that myself, but then I found some photos of him and Wayne together. Now I think that Batman is a doctor named Thomas Elliot, but Robin says no. I don't care, I'll figure it out eventually. But for now, I can help prove who he's not."

Raven and Cyborg exchanged a knowing glance. Yin had been trying to figure out who Batman was for years, and he hadn't joined the Titans yet when the rest of the team had learned the secret.

Robin let him keep on believing Batman was Thomas Elliot. It humored him, for some strange reason.

About that time, Beast Boy walked in accompanied by Maya and Pearl Fey. The younger girl was sipping on a huge chocolate milk shake.

"Yummy!" she said, smiling brightly.

Robin cleared his throat. "At the risk of sounding like Fred Jones from Scooby Doo, I'm going to have to ask you all to split up. Yin has told me that it is acceptable, if frowned upon, for Turnabout Courtroom lawyers to do their own investigating. I'd like to ask Wright, Beast Boy, and Ragnarök—wherever he is—to look up the crime scene."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Beast Boy said. "It's just a couple of apartments and a rooftop."

"And I'm right here," Ragnarök said, scooting out from behind Cyborg.

Robin turned to Vic. "Cyborg and Yin, head to the tower and see if you can find anything more about the fake files I was supposedly tracking the victim with." Vic gave him a thumbs up.

The Boy Wonder glanced in the direction of Starfire and Raven. "I want you two and Maya to see if you can figure out more about the victim—his former associates, anybody who would want to do him in."

Maya gasped. "M—me?! What good would I be in this investigation? And I'd rather stay with Nick."

"You're a spirit medium, right?" Robin asked. "So is Pearl."

"Um.. yes… Though Pearly has a lot more power than I do."

"But we're more likely to find leads if we split the two of you up," Robin said. "That was Raven's suggestion, so you'll have to ask her about the details."

Raven gave a faint smirk towards Maya. "It's okay. We understand you're not used to superhero work."

"I'm a huge fan of superheroes—" Maya began as a retort—"But usually just… not this kind of heroes…"

"What kind then?" Yin asked, arching a rubbery eyebrow.

"Well, I like the Steel Samurai." Maya beamed, suddenly enthusiastic. "I'm so glad Mr. Will Powers got his job back after the Nickel Samurai season ended. He's such a nice man."

Yin goggled. "Holy frell! You know Will Powers?"

Maya nodded. Cyborg could sense her heart racing at the idea of a kindred spirit.

Suddenly the two of them threw their hands up and pointed at the sky, and then they burst out together: **_"FOR GREAT JUSTICE!"_**

"And all our base are belong to you," Raven deadpanned.

"Justice will come when whoever is framing me is revealed," Robin muttered. "Ragnarök, and Raven. I need to see you two alone before you leave here."

Cyborg glanced back at the two, considering eavesdropping on their conversation, but he decided against it.

"Man'o'man." Phoenix gave a loud, short laugh as he and Cyborg stepped out of the detention center. "He pretty much just bossed us around in there. Which I don't mind. Usually I'm at a loss for what to look for next. It's just, I've never seen a guy accused of murder so on top of things."

"Heh," Cyborg smiled broadly at him. "That's 'cause you never worked with Batman's sidekick before."

* * *

Back at the Tower, the Titans geared up and prepared to accomplish their assigned tasks. Cyborg and Yin sat at two opposing terminals on the Ops Room computer, digging through the endless streams of data for some sort of clue. 

"Hey, Cyborg," Beast Boy called from in front of the elevator that led down to the Titans' garage. "You mind if we take the T-Car? Because I really doubt that me, Rag, and Mr. Wright are all going to fit on my B-ped." Beast Boy refered to the moped that he had 'earned' after working the lunch shift at a fast food restaurant owned by alien cow-snatchers.

"Fine," Cyborg said. "Given that this is an emergency, you can take the T-Car this once—but only if Phoenix drives it!"

Wright laughed nervously. "Actually, Victor, I.. don't have a driver's license."

Cyborg's head spun 135 degrees in half a second to look at Wright—and make no mistake, a head turn of that many radians unnerved the lawyer—with his human eye wide. "What!?"

Pearl, who had opted to go with Phoenix rather than stay with Yin and Cyborg, (who she described as 'scary') nodded. "Mr. Nick makes Maya drive him around now. And before that we always had to pay creepy ethnic stereotypes in yellow cars to take us places."

Yin stifled a laugh.

"She means Taxis," Wright muttered.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy cried. "That means I get to drive!"

"Wait, why don't I get to drive?" Ragnarök asked.

Beast Boy smirked. "Because you're still fifteen. And technically an illegal alien from another universe." He reached over to the elevator call button, enjoying the look of worry on Cyborg's face as they descended into the garage.

* * *

"Are we ready to go?" Maya asked Starfire as the Tamaranian princess hovered closer to her atop the roof of Titans' Tower. 

"Not quite yet, Friend Maya. We must await Raven before we take our heads out."

Maya goggled at her.

"Oh, I mean.. before we 'head out'?" Starfire said, enunciating more slowly.

Suddenly, a circle of dark energy appeared on the roof of the Tower and Raven hovered up through it. "Starfire learned the basics of English in an instant, but she still has trouble with idioms sometimes," Raven explained.

"I see!" Maya cried happily, the unexpected loudness jarring Raven's calm demeanor.

"If we have no further questions, we shall be off, then!" Starfire clasped her lavender-gloved hand around Maya's wrist.

"Wait!" Maya gasped. "I'm afraid of heights. I can't fly with you just dangling me around. What if you drop me?"

"It's okay," Raven said. "By the way, I saw you using the Kurain Spirit Channeling technique today. There's something I need to explain to you about that."

Maya goggled. "Explain!? Did I do something wrong? My sister did show up, didn't she?"

"So it was your sister?" Raven's voice betrayed her interest in the subject, her own area of expertise. "That explains how you summoned her so easily."

Maya smiled, but there was a sadness in the smile. "My sis was great, you know. She was killed while working a case against a guy named Redd White, and I ended up getting set up for the murder." Maya took in a breath. She was trying to calm a sudden dizziness she'd begun feeling, staring up at the cloudless December sky. 

Raven closed her eyes briefly, then glanced over at Starfire. Then she turned back to the young Spirit Medium. "Okay, Maya. I want you to look down; slowly. Don't be surprised by what you see."

"Huh?" Maya asked, tilting her head downward…

And gasping as a panorama of Jump City harbor stretched out below her; they had to be at least three hundred feet above the tower. Maya saw her feet on a small platform of black energy, and a chill ran up her spine…

"We-we're flying!" Maya's breath caught when she realized how high up they were; she thought of flailing her arms for balance, but suddenly realized she couldn't move them at all.

"It's okay, Maya," Raven said. "I just needed to get your mind off heights. We don't have a lot of time, and I didn't want to argue with you. This isn't so bad, is it?"

Maya looked down and noticed that they were moving forward, the cool air feeling downright cold as their motion caused wind-chill. "No… this is—this is incredible!"

Raven nodded. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." When she spoke a sheath of black energy wrapped around Maya's legs and abdomen, and another swath of it appeared in front of her, acting as a semi-transparent windbreaker. Starfire flew along side them, enjoying Maya's fun almost as much as Maya herself was.

"So where do we go first?" Maya asked.

"Frank Newitt worked at Moby Paper Incorporated on the southern edge of town. We'll start there; we'll see if anybody he knew has a motive—or knows about someone who does."

* * *

Superman had it easy. When he wanted to fly, all he had to do was just extend his personal kinetic field and off he went. It didn't even drain him on most days because the sun replenished his energy as he flew. 

Beast Boy had often wished he were Kryptonian. When Beast Boy wanted to fly, he had to first transform into an animal that could fly, and had to expend copious amounts of energy flapping his wings—be they leathered, feathered, or chitinous. It made his arms tired.

Driving the T-Car?

That wasn't tiring. That was _fun._

"Are you sure you know the way to this place?" Ragnarök muttered as Beast Boy whirled the car into a turn going way too fast.

"I'm sure," Beast Boy said. "I used to go watch Star Wars at the Time Warp Theatre all the time when I first moved here."

The green teenager wasn't a bad driver, per say, but he undoubtedly let his emotions—in this case a craving for speed—get the better of him. By the time the three arrived at the apartment complex, Ragnarök and Phoenix both felt nauseous.

"That was fun!" Pearl cried. "Let's do it again!"

"No!" Ragnarök and Phoenix blurted in unison.

Two flights of stairs later, the unlikely quartet was on the top floor of the apartment, which overlooked the roof where the murder had occurred. "Where to first?" Pearl asked.

"I say we check out the victim's room," Beast Boy said. "This really isn't my area of expertise, so I'm trying really hard to think like Robin and I think this is where he'd think to go."

"Ya' think?" asked Rag sardonically.

Frank Newitt's room was a mess; it was obvious the instant they opened the door. A swivel chair next to his computer was overturned, and papers were scattered all over the place. A portrait had been knocked off the wall on the far end and was now lying across the waste basket at an angle.

"Maybe he's related to Ma Hunkel," Ragnarök deadpanned. Pearl laughed, even though she obviously had no idea who Ma Hunkel was.

"And maybe you shouldn't be trespassing," came a familiar gruff but very unmascualine voice. The four turned to see Detective Regina Simmons standing in the doorway of the apartment's bedroom, her pistol drawn and held tensely at her side.

"We're investigating," Beast Boy said. The gun was making him tense though. He immediately began thinking of what animals would be best for withstanding bullets in such a confined space; Beast Boy couldn't armor himself because the neither the Titans nor his old team, the Doom Patrol, had never found a material that was sufficiently strong enough and still allowed him to shape-shift freely without reverting to his human form naked.

"The police are investigating," Simmons replied. "And I don't care if Mr. Attorney over there is with you, even TC lawyers aren't allowed to tamper with the crime scene."

Pearl arched an eyebrow. "I thought the murder happened on the roof."

"It did, but as you can see, there was a struggle in here before the murder took place on the roof. And that makes this part of the crime scene."

"Are you sure Mr. Newitt just wasn't a messy person?" Wright asked.

"Funny." Simmons muttered.

_"_I wasn't trying to be," Wright said. "I mean, do you have proof there was a struggle here? What if someone just wants us to think there was?"

Regina narrowed her eyes and pushed back her auburn hair, which had fallen into her face. "There's no conclusive evidence that it was a struggle, but it seems that someone that Newitt was acquainted with came in without breaking and entering; a fight broke out, and Mr. Newitt fled onto the deck where he was murdered."

"That's inconsistent with Robin's testimony," Wright pointed out. "He said the murderer stole the weapon and lured him to the crime scene, not attacked from the inside."

"We have no way to verify that testimony, though." Regina frowned. "Listen, I've got to go soon. My men are watching you, and if you tamper with anything..."

Beast Boy's eyes lit up. "Wait, what would you consider conclusive evidence? Of a struggle, I mean?"

Regina glanced down at him. "Well, blood, for one."

Beast Boy nodded and transformed into a bloodhound, an action that clearly freaked Regina out. He began sniffing around the room, past the portrait and under the bed, then towards the bedroom and back over to the group.

He assumed his human form. "Well, there has definitely been someone else in the apartment besides you and Mr. Newitt. I smell one really lived in scent that kind of washes over everything and another that barely seems human. It's only in the places where things are smashed."

"Where was Frank Newitt last before he left the room?" Ragnarök asked.

"As best I can tell, he moved from that portrait over there, to the window, where he climbed out onto the roof. But it's a lot older than the scent of the stranger."

Regina walked across the room and picked up the portrait, noticing it was of a former President. "James K. Polk?" she wondered aloud. "Weird taste in art."

When Regina turned it around for Wright and Co. to see, a small slip of paper fell out, and Pearls, already being low to the ground, instantly snatched it up.

"What does it say?" Rag asked.

"I can't read it, the writing is all funny."

Wright took the note and read it aloud. "'If you're reading this and I'm dead, Nightwing… Blackjack. 10-20-04' ..That's all it says."

"Nightwing!?" Ragnarök gasped. "You mean the _first _Robin."

"Good lord, there's another one!?" Regina shook her head. "_He_'s never been arrested for murder, has he?"

Phoenix shrugged. "I think that's what it says. But the date—it's over four years ago."

"So he didn't write it the night of the murder, but he's known the murder was coming since October 20th, 2004, or earlier?" Regina said. "Listen, this evidence, if you can call it that, doesn't help us any. Unless this 'Nightwing' fella knows what it means."

"I'll have Cyborg call him tonight," Beast Boy said. "Maybe Nightwing knows about a Blackjack themed villain or something."

Phoenix jotted down the contents of the note and added it to his court record, and handed the original copy to Regina.

"One thing's for sure," Regina said as the four walked away. "This case is a lot more complicated than that von Karma woman wants us to think."

* * *

"And just who might you be?" asked a rather rotund man with a Tom Selleck-style mustache. He'd been the first person Raven and Starfire encountered after entering the paper factory and seemed to be oblivious to anything that went on outside it. He had the aura of the supreme journeyman about him. Raven leaned back and sighed. "I'm Raven; I'm with the Teen Titans." 

"You look like a hooligan," the man muttered. "Otaku punk in a fancy superhero costume."

Raven narrowed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I am very much the real thing. Now please let us in." Raven's eyes glowed white as she spoke, emphasizing the words and proving she wasn't just a kid in a costume.

Maya shuddered at the sight. Sure, she summoned the spirits of the dead into her own body—but glowing eyes? That was just creepy!

The man shuddered too, backing away. "What are you hear ta' investigate, exactly?"

Starfire's eye's widened. "Surely you know that your coworker, Mr. Frank Newitt, was murdered recently."

"Frank? Ho boy, I never thought anyone would wanna do Frank in!" the man shook his head. "Newitt was a total loner. Nobody ever bothered him, and he never bothered nobody. Just came to work, finished his shift, and went on home. Who killed 'im?"

"We don't know yet!" Maya blurted. "There's a suspect, and all, but we don't think he's the one who did it."

"Oh, I see." The man took a step back and regarded the oldest—though smallest—of the three girls. "You don't look near as familiar as these other two."

Raven stepped in. "I'm sorry, Mister--?"

" Carson."

"— Carson. Maya is not a member of the Titans. She's the personal assistant of the defendant's lawyer."

"Okay, then, no need to get all bothered about it. I'll get you the keys if you want to look around Frank's office."

Mr. Carson led them to a room in the back, where he unlocked the door. When the girls entered, Raven immediately felt an overwhelming rush of boredom slam into her. It was as if Newitt had been wasting away in here during life.

"Anything catch your eye?" Maya asked, suddenly across the room, looking over everything and holding tensed arms behind her back, as if it took all her willpower not to reach out and began touching. "Oh, look at this cute little globe!" She leaned over it and began spinning it by blowing on Germany.

Raven groaned inwardly—and then stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is it, Raven?" Starfire asked, almost running into the half-demon

"Someone else has been here very recently."

Maya whirled around, the globe in hand. "What?!"

"I'm not sure… There's a recent psychic impression in here, but it just distorts suddenly."

Maya shrugged. "Look around, see if you can find it."

Raven walked over and examined the globe. "That's strange," she said after a moment.

"What?" Starfire asked.

"This globe is wrong. 'The Republic of Kandaq'? Kandaq has never been a republic. It's never even pretended to be a republic."

"Maybe it's just a misprint," Maya said with a sigh. "OOH!" with a girlish squeal, Maya was on the other side of the room, looking at one of the shelves across from Newitt's desk. "A magic 8-Ball!"

Maya started to pick it up, but Starfire grabbed her and pulled her away from the shelf. "I am sorry, Friend Maya, but we are not meant to touch anything that isn't evidence."

But Starfire's tug was enough to send the Magatama around Maya's neck airborne a bit before falling back down against her chest—and when it was aloft, Raven saw it flash, just briefly, as it passed through the air at a certain level.

Raven, perplexed, reached out with her empathic senses, and suddenly was chilled. Something was still in the room, she was sure of it—whatever they'd almost surprised hadn't had time to leave, only hide...

"Starfire, Maya, hold on. Come here…"

"Hm?" Maya walked over, and Raven put the globe down.

"Your Magatama. It reacted to something in this room, which means that something in here isn't what it seems."

"Huh?" Maya blinked.

"The Magatama senses when someone is lying, or hiding something. That means there's someone pretended to be something it's not here in this room." Raven pulled the jewel on Maya's necklace into her hands and recited a short incantation…

Suddenly, the Magatama began glowing, and hovered in the air, twisting around Maya's neck until it was pointing… at the shelf.

Maya took a step closer until it was obvious that the Magatama was hovering directly towards the Magic 8-Ball.

Raven's eyes became thin slits, and she extended her hands towards the object on the shelf. "**_Azarath_** **_Ostendo Sum!"_**

White light lanced out of her finger tips and struck the 8-Ball.

**_KRAKA-BRUM!_**

The girls were simultaneously blinded by a brilliant flash of white light—and then a fist rushed out and slammed into Raven's face, staggering her. Starfire caught a glimpse of a foot flying towards her head and was suddenly seeing stars.

Maya gasped, unable to react as the assailant smashed her across the face, and then blasted out the window…. And all of this within two seconds.

Starfire was the first back on her feet—and immediately airborne, helping Maya up. "Are you okay?"

"My nose is bleeding isn't it?" Maya grumbled. "Ouch.."

Starfire grabbed a tissue from Frank Newitt's desk and wiped the blood from Maya's nose. "Not at all!"

"She's getting away," Raven barked. The two looked up to see Raven standing over them, her eyes once again glowing white. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Dark energy consumed all three girls and assumed the shape of a giant raven which shot through the roof of the building, phasing through it and heading skyward.

The energy dissipated and Raven and Starfire were zooming at their attacker, Maya dangling from a black-energy harness near Raven.

Finally they got a good glimpse of their attacker; she was tall, feminine, and glowing. She looked like a woman in a white jumpsuit with a 10 sewn on her shoulder and a symbol for 'Spades' in a deck of cards over her navel. Except she seemed to be entirely made of energy; an almost-blinding yellow glow surrounded her.

"Identify yourself," Raven demanded.

The woman pointed to the number 10 on her shoulder, and tapped it twice.

"Oh, of course. You're Ten. That answers all my questions."

Raven started forward, hoping to keep Maya back and away from harm—but Starfire pre-empted her, blasting forward and smashing a powerful dual-fisted hammer strike across Ten's face, then kneeing her in the gut.

"You will stand down and tell us why you were in the victim's office!" Starfire shouted.

But the villainess wasn't so easily persuaded, shrugging off Starfire's blows and returning fire. Ten grabbed Starfire by the throat and flew directly at Raven and Maya, then leaned back in mid air, planting her foot across Star's solar plexus and launching the princess into Raven's hastily-erected shield.

Ten retreated, flying backwards though seemingly knowing exactly where she was going. Her arms extended towards them—and then changed, transforming into a pair of large laser cannons.

Beams of energy lanced out, and Raven created another shield to deflect them. Starfire, on the other hand, weaved in between the blasts, and almost got close enough to punch Ten once again. But Ten suddenly accelerated, moving out of range of Star's fist and forcing Star to swing wildly and miss.

Ten's red slit of a mouth raised in a self-satisfied smirk.

Starfire wasn't giving up so easily. Brilliant green beams of energy arced out of her eyes and slammed into Ten's energy body, sending the supervillain staggering backward. Ten grunted, her voice sounding distorted, somehow mechanical despite the obvious anger..

Then, in a tone that was little more than a really loud whisper, she said a single word. "_Ciao_."

A brilliant flash of light filled the sky, blinding Starfire. Raven snapped her eyes shut and sealed Maya in a bubble of dark energy until the light subsided.

When it was gone, the elusive burglar that called herself Ten was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

_"Welcome back, my friends. It is I, your guiding light in times of trouble—the one, the only, Link Rambeau. We're celebrating 20 years of amazing radio shows here on the Supremacy in Broadcasting Network."_

The radio show segued into a series of clips from the previous twenty years of conservative talk radio's Link Rambeau, Democrat-basher extraordinaire.

Yin stretched his left arm across the across the room and turned off the radio. "Sigh. I know twenty years is a big thing, but I wish he'd talk more about president-elect Dibny. We know what went on in the past. It's the future I care about."

Cyborg also sighed, but his was for a very different reason. "Why do you even bother listening to that guy, dude? He's a blowhard. All he ever does is bash Democrats, and all the Democrats ever do is bash Republicans. It's pointless. I wish they'd just shut up and get something done."

Yin shook his head. "I just like to listen to him, okay. I don't see what your big deal is."

Cyborg craned his neck. "Propaganda is propaganda no matter who is saying it."

"So the truth is propaganda now?" Yin shot back.

"The truth is what we're trying to find out, Davis." Cyborg pulled up another file. "Politics is just a series of lies and misrepresentations. I wish life was just about kickin' bad guy butt, y'know? It would make things so much easier."

Davis hesitated a minute. "Would it? I guess. I just wish we knew who the bad guys really were, here. Have the security recordings shown you anything?"

"Other than the fact that the cameras were all covered in the same time frame the data used to incriminate Robin was created, not really."

Yin frowned. "You mean all the cameras were taken out simultaneously?"

Cyborg punched a few buttons…

"Almost exactly," he replied. "The feed just goes out and comes back in a few hours later. But the cameras are designed to only stay offline for three minutes at a time at most. Even if you cut the wires on them, they have battery back up. This sort of thing would have to be done from the main control center—and the cameras don't record anyone there at the time the feed cuts out."

Yin stretched is neck over to see what Cyborg was saying. "Hm. It sounds like either our infiltrator was in two places at once, or he had some considerably skilled help."

"We might as well add the disabled cameras to evidence," Cyborg said. "It will prove at least that someone's got something to hide."

* * *

Phoenix and Pearl were just about to call it quits when Beast Boy glanced oddly down the hall. "Hey, I think I saw someone…" 

"It's an apartment building, of course you saw someone!" Ragnarök chided as Beast Boy took off down the hall.

"Yeah, but he looked familiar," Garfield Logan called back.

"Great," Rag said. He shrugged at Phoenix and took off, and Pearl was fast behind him.

"Come on, Mr. Nick! We can't give up yet!"

Wright resigned himself and followed the three younger humans towards the end of the hall. When he rounded the corner, he unexpectedly saw Beast Boy and Ragnarök standing still and apparently having a staring contest with a young man. He was tall, at least six feet tall, and had a shock of black hair that was concave on top, giving the very slight impression of horns.

The young man was staring confusedly, and with a hint of annoyance, at the Titans. "I'm sorry, but may I ask why we've suddenly engaged in such a pointless staring contest in the middle of the hallway?" He spoke in an accent so austere and uptight it Wright almost mistook it for posh British society.

No, it wasn't though. It was probably a New Englander accent, Wright conceded.

"No offense dude, I just thought you looked familiar at first." Beast Boy held his hands up defensively. Funny, the kid could turn into a Bengal tiger at any moment and rip the guy in half, yet it was Beast Boy that cringed away.

"You're a Titan," the man observed. "I saw you in court today."

"You were there?" Rag asked with some surprise.

"Of course I was. My own younger brother was testifying today."

"You mean that Blooming Onion kid." Rag nodded.

That just set the man off. "Blooming Onion? That's the most ridiculous, maleficent besmirchment of my family's good name I've ever heard!" Wright cowed away, and Pearl clung to his leg.

"We are the **_Bloominflaurs_**!" he said, emphasizing the name as if it were the most important thing in the universe. "I am Ted Bloominflaur, the oldest and most intelligent son of our lineage."

"Yeah, sure," Beast Boy said, backing off. "Not trying to start a fight here, dude."

"Hold it!" Wright said. He reached into his pocket and clutched Maya's Magatama. And it was instantly clear that this Ted Bloominflaur was covered in Psyche-Locks—visual representations of the things hidden in his heart. There were only two, though. Wright didn't worry about having to crack them, assuming it became necessary. But he did want to speak to someone _else._ "Your parents. I would actually like to talk to them. Your little brother mentioned that he showed them the photos he took of the victim."

"Ah yes. I do believe the child caught your client in the act, eh?" Ted gave Wright a sadistic smirk that didn't go unnoticed by the Titans and Maya. "My parents are in the room at the end of this hall. I have business to attend to. Good day."

With that, Ted Bloominflaur left.

"Friendly guy," Rag remarked as they reached the end of the hall.

Three knocks on the door and two figures appeared in it as it opened into a very nice apartment that looked entirely out of place in such an otherwise low-end building. The man looked over Beast Boy and Ragnarök and immediately harrumphed. "I'm tired of answering questions today," he muttered. "I'm afraid I'll have to respectfully decline any more inquiries into the photos my son took."

"Nonsense, dear," the woman with him said. She stopped him from slamming the door in the faces of the Titans and invited everyone in. The man looked at the woman, who appeared to be about forty and in good physical shape for her age, with a curious glance. "Is this a good idea, sweetie?"

"I won't have it any other way," she returned. "Please excuse my Harold," she said. "He is terribly unfriendly around strangers." She extended a hand. "Elizabeth Bloominflaur."

The lawyer reached out and shook the woman's hand. " Phoenix Wright, Attorney at Law."

"I know," she said. "I've read so much about you!"

"You have?" Wright said, goggling.

"Mr. Nick is famous!" Pearl beamed, clapping her hands.

The woman laughed nervously. "I'm afraid I've become something of a fangirl," she said. "Always getting defendants off the hook. I respect that in a lawyer."

Wright shrugged. "Well, I'm not perfect, ma'am. I guess it's really been mostly a lot of luck and help from my assistants that has seen me through all this."

"Don't worry about it," Elizabeth said. "Anyway, is there anything I can do for you? I know Harold is tired of questions, but I'm fresh off of a nap and ready for anything."

Wright glanced over at the Titans, and Beast Boy nodded.

"Your son said he saw the murder. He said he took two photos. Is there anything more to the story? Did you hear a struggle."

Elizabeth frowned. "We hear struggles all the time in this apartment. Dreadful place. I keep badgering Harold to get a new one. By the way, your case defending Harry Butts? Brilliant!"

"Uh.. Thanks." Wright said. _Funny she sites my first case—the least brilliant of anything I've done. Not that anything I've ever done was brilliant to begin with._

"The photos are no longer in our possession," she finally said after a minute. "That lady detective took them and the camera itself this morning."

A loud clock chime sounded through the antechamber, and Wright glanced over and saw that it was now 3:00 PM.

"Well, it is getting late," Elizabeth said. "Perhaps we should continue this another time."

"Perhaps." Wright reached into his pocket and clutched the Magatama. Yup. She was holding Psyche-Locks too, as was Harold Bloominflaur. _Then again, with high-society like this, they probably have plenty of things they don't want known to the public._

"Are you deaf and stupid, man?" Harold blurted. "My wife says its time for you to leave."

Suddenly, a new voice called in from another room, a kitchen from the looks of it, and Wright craned his head. A small girl, younger than Pearl, walked in. "I'm back, mum.. I…"

The little girl suddenly look shocked to see Wright standing there, along with the Titan. She stood there frozen, staring at them.

"What are _they_ doing here?" the kid asked.

"It's okay, dear." Elizabeth said. "They're just… _visitors_."

"They're the bad men who want to save the _Robin_," the little girl hissed. "I don't_ like_ them."

Something in the child's voice made Phoenix's gut fill with ice. He frowned, and addressed her. "I'm sorry you feel that way, little…?"

"Jasmine," the girl said.

"Jasmine, how about we go into another room and you tell me about your school day," Harold said. The little girl followed her father out of the room.

"Well, I guess we had better get on the road too." Wright said. _Before this entire family drives me insane._

"Bye, folks!" Rag said, waving and smiling broadly at them. Elizabeth returned the fakest smile any of them had ever seen, and turned to follow her husband and daughter as the Titans, Pearl, and Nick left the apartment.

Just to be on the safe side, though, Phoenix added profiles for the entire Bloominflaur family to the Court Record.

* * *

** 11:11 AM  
**** The Roof of Titans Tower**

Ragnarök's late-night rendezvous skills weren't really all that accomplished, but he found his way to the roof without waking anyone regardless. His powers came entirely from his armor, and his armor could be summoned at will from its dormant form, stored inside his body as a series of cybernetic modifications to his nervous system.

Right now, he wore a simple grey hoodie and brown slacks.

Raven, on the other hand, wore her traditional garb, her heavy blue cloak fluttering in the cold December breeze.

"Did you bring the hologram ring?" she asked.

Ragnarök held it up. "Yeah. Right here."

"You'll need to get rid of the hoodie for this to work."

"Rae, I'm wearing a tank top underneath this. Please don't make me disrobe in this weather."

"We can't have any mistakes," she stated emphatically.

Rag consented finally, and removed the hoodie. The ring flashed, and Ragnarök was suddenly a perfect duplicate of Robin in his stripped-down jail-bird costume. It was essential for their plan to work.

Raven then closed her eyes. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

In a blinding wave of darkness, Raven and Ragnarök vanished from the roof of the Tower; nobody noticed the massive black shadow cross the bay to the mainland and sweep through the detention center walls, intangible to all but that which Raven needed to manipulate.

When Robin saw the clock by his bed strike exactly 2:18, he rolled over, and it was at that moment that the shadow passed, over him, replacing Robin with Ragnarök and carrying the accused to the highest point in Jump City—the space needle.

"That was risky," Raven chided.

"And my identity being made public would be a disaster." Robin replied, using techniques taught to him by Batman to resist the bitter cold. Raven handed him a spare utility belt and a pair of boots.

"The trip to Gotham will require a bit more focus than simple teleportation across the city. Sit down."

Raven and Robin sat side by side, hand in hand, as Raven prepared an elaborate spell.

And in the darkness of the night, the duo vanished from the West Coast and began the 3000 mile journey to Gotham City.

* * *

Dr. Leslie Thompkins wasn't a heavy sleeper. 

In fact, given the circumstances, with the entire 'Bat Family' in danger of being exposed, not to mention the raging thunder storm outside, she wasn't able to sleep at all tonight. She was up at 2:30 in the morning, Eastern Standard Time, and sipping a cup of decaffeinate tea, and reading an old psychology book… And then the lightning flashed and a pair of white eye-slits glared down at her from behind a figure draped in a thick black cape.

Leslie jumped in her seat, spilling her tea.

"You shouldn't have done that—"

Suddenly, she looked up and realized she wasn't talking to the man she thought she was.

"Dr. Thompkins," came the harsh but youthful voice of Robin.

"T… Tim—is that you? My lord, you've grown up…"

Tim walked forward, silent till he reached Leslie, and then stumbled forward, wrapping her in a hug. "It's good to see you." Robin whispered.

Leslie understood what was happening. She hadn't spoken to the young man before her in over two years, and after all this time—he was thanking her. Had it really been that long since the Joker'd had his way with the boy? Tormented him, reshaped him in his own image?

That long since Robin had taken the Joker's life?

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Robin asked as he broke off the embrace.

"Shouldn't _you_ be in jail?" asked Leslie.

Robin grimaced. "I didn't kill that man."

"I know you didn't," she said. "But what do you want me to do about it? There's clearly a motive established. You could so easily debunk it if you could just unmask as someone other than yourself."

"You know I can't do that," Robin said. "I can't unmask under any circumstances. But if I have proof of Timothy Drake's death—"

"You want me to give you your own forged death certificate?" Leslie's question was almost a statement.

"Bruce told me that he had contingency plans in case our identities came under suspicion."

"And he sent you to me?"

"I've not talked to him since last night," Robin said. "As far as I know, he doesn't know that I'm in Gotham, and he hasn't contacted the Titans."

"Why didn't you just have one of your friends come then?" Leslie pulled the robe she'd wrapped herself in for warmth tight around her body and strode towards a book case. "Save yourself the trouble of breaking out of jail."

"Because I need to ask you a favor. I need you to commit perjury for me. And that's not something you ask someone through a middle man."

"You want me _in_ the court room." Leslie asked, incredulous.

"If you have patients to attend to—"

"Tim, I'm retired," Leslie said. "I only see Bruce and his associates anymore. And that's almost too much for me. Thank God that Alfred has some medical training or Bruce would have worked me to death already."

"So you'll come."

She turned, holding a book out. "We'll see. Open this."

Robin did so, and pulled a large yellow envelope from inside.

"This is your death certificate," she said. "You know the cover story, correct?"

Robin nodded, and turned to go.

"Tim…" Leslie's grey hair fell slightly as she bowed her head, ashamed. "Tim… I really need to say that.. I'm sorry."

"You're apologizing to me? For what?"

"I'm a physician and a surgeon. You needed a psychiatrist. I tried my best to help you recover from what that monster did to you—but I didn't have the proper training. Thanks to me you lost nearly a year of your life. It's something I've lived regretting every day—that I couldn't have helped you faster."

Robin shook his head. "Dr. Thompkins… If you hadn't been there, hadn't helped me, I wouldn't be standing here today. I can never change what the Joker did to me—or what Slade tried to do. And I can't ever forgive myself for what I did that night."

"You should. He was the Joker, Tim; you did the world a favor by taking him out of it."

"I can't let myself think that," Robin said. "I took a life—evil as it was. And if you hadn't helped me, I'd never have a chance to make up for what happened that night. And I never would have formed the Titans."

Leslie finally sighed. "You have your own demons still to exorcize," she said at length.

"One thing at a time." Robin waited for a lightning flash, and as it did, he vanished out the window.

* * *

"Did you get what you needed?" Raven asked him as they found themselves on a nearby rooftop, a dark shield. 

"I'm not sure _what_ I need," he replied, clenching a fist.

"I mean for the trial," she shot back dryly.

After a beat, Robin nodded. "Before we go back home, there's one more stop I need to make…. Take me to Bludhaven."


	5. Trial Day Two

**Turnabout Titan  
Chapter Five: Trial Day Two **

* * *

**December 18****th****, 2008**

**9:23 AM**

**Jump City District Courthouse**

**Foyer**

Phoenix Wright hung his head and began massaging his temples. "Ugh, what a night."

"What's the matter, Mr. Nick?" Pearl asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night." Wright walked across the room to a bench and sat down, the girls following close behind.

"You'll do fine, Nick," Maya said, beaming. "You pulled off a whole case with amnesia once. There's no way a little sleep deprivation will do you in!"

"I wish I could share your confidence," Wright said. "But from what I've heard, Franziska has brought in a new witness and that second photograph."

"But someone attacked the Titans the other day! That's gotta count for something."

"I dunno…"

"Hey, Phoenix!" a voice called from nearby. Wright craned his neck to see Ragnarök and Yin, the freshman Titans, along with Beast Boy and Cyborg heading his way. The voice had been Ragnarök's.

"Um, hi… What's going on?"

"Well, the trial is about to start," Rag said.

Yin looked grim. "Robin's going to have to testify about his identity today. I gave the police my photos that prove Bruce Wayne isn't Batman. They should get to you soon."

Wright noticed that Cyborg and Beast Boy gave each other a nervous glance, and Wright reached into his pocket and took hold of the Magatama…

Instantly, Psyche-Locks appeared on Ragnarök, Cyborg and Beast Boy, but none on Yin. What were they hiding?

"The trial starts in five minutes!" called the nearby voice of the bailiff. "Anyone who has business in this court hurry up and get your sorry butts in here."

Wright facevaulted, and the girls' eyes widened.

"That's the most unprofessional-sounding bailiff I've ever heard," Pearl said.

"You said it, Pearly." Maya followed the rest of the crew into the courtroom, and Phoenix stood at the defense podium. The Titans and other onlookers filed into the audience chairs and Robin was led to the defendant's seat. Wright noticed that the Bloominflaurs were sitting near the Titans, even their young daughter…

What was her name again? He checked the court record.

Jasmine.

Okay, why bring a six year old to the court? Wright quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn't any of his business. Now they just had to find a way to stop Franziska von Karma from deploying any more nasty tricks and it wouldn't be hard to show that Robin was totally innocent. Despite photos showing him standing over the body with the murder weapon. Yeah. No problem.

Wright gulped.

"It will be okay, Nick," Maya said, trying to comfort him.

Wright nodded and tried to put on a brave face. "Yeah. It will be."

The judge slammed his gavel into the table. "Is the prosecution ready?"

Von Karma took a bow and smiled sadistically. "Ready as ever, your honor."

"Is the defense ready?"

Phoenix nodded. "Yes, your honor."

"Then we shall proceed. Miss von Karma, please call your first witness to the stand."

"Very well," she replied. "My first witness is something I rarely need or have any use for, but given the pitiful and futile objections that I know the defense will raise in order to derail this trial into a farce, I feel is necessary."

"Which is?" Wright asked.

"A professional government witness," Franziska answered. "I call Mr. Puff Huffington, an expert on photography and digital manipulation to the stand."

A man who couldn't have been any older than thirty-five took the stand and began a strange series of repeated motions, fastening his tie, then allowing his eyes to dart around the room briefly before fastening his tie again. Phoenix found it strangely mesmerizing and barely heard von Karma when she began speaking.

Von Karma drew the court's attention to two photos. Wright observed that one of the photos was the one of Robin standing over the body with the metal staff in hand. The other made him suck in a short breath, a new well of dread beginning to form in his body. The light wasn't as great, as there was no flash, but it clearly showed Robin, both hands on the bo-staff, and the business end jammed into the chest of Frank Newitt.

"Sir," she said, "Please testify that these photos have not been doctored in any way."

The judge glared at von Karma. "That is not the proper way to phrase such an inquiry, Miss von Karma," he began..

Until her whip lashed out and smacked the judge across the face.

"I will determine what is and isn't appropriate in my cases, your foolish honor."

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix cried. "Your honor, the prosecution cannot physically abuse you!"

"I will determine what the prosecution can and can't do in my court!" The judge snapped at Phoenix. "I'm sorry, sir, but you will be penalized for this."

Phoenix cringed as one of his five points until contempt of court vanished. _How is it that she hits the guy with a whip and I get punished for it?_

"Now, please testify," Franziska said.

Puff nodded. "The photos were carefully examined in both their print and original digital forms. Computers have thankfully been advanced enough so that we can determine with a degree of certainly comparable to DNA evidence whether or not a photo has been digitally manipulated."

"And?"

"My staff and I concluded that neither of these photos has been digitally manipulated in the slightest." Dr. Huffington pushed his glasses up, straightened his tie again, and looked around nervously. "Or more accurately, the possibility is less than 0.03 or that the edit was less than fifteen by fifteen pixels."

"What's the resolution of the photos?" Wright asked.

Puff's eyes widened. "Um, I believe the camera in question takes photos at 2.1 megapixels."

"This is correct," von Karma said, holding up the camera itself as evidence.

Wright clutched his Magatama but found no Psyche-Locks on him. Then, an odd thought occurred to him and he shrugged. "The time stamps on the photos. Presumably they were stamped by the camera itself."

"Indeed," said Puff. "The time stamps are consistent with the prosecution's order of events. At approximately 10:02 and **four seconds** the first photo was taken of the defendant standing over the victim holding the staff. The second photo, with the victim impaled on the staff was taken at 10:02 PM and **eleven seconds**."

Phoenix's stomach chilled as though it had turned to ice.

"As you can see," von Karma said, "my case was utterly perfect. The second photo was withheld only because the first photo demonstrated guilt ever so slightly more clearly."

"Quite," responded the British Judge sarcastically. "Though in the future, please do not pull such stunts again."

"Of course not, your honor."

"Alright, Mr. Wright. You may cross-examine the witness."

Wright nodded, but was sweating heavily. He couldn't think of a concrete thing to say and felt like the vague ideas he'd had were even now slipping away. He stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow, and then sighed. "I don't think I have any ques—"

"**Wait a minute**," Maya shouted. "What if he just took a photo of Robin taking the staff out, then changed the time and took another photo so it ended up looking like he did it in the other direction?"

For the first time all day, Franziska didn't smile.

Wright beamed. _I think Maya zinged her with a possibility she didn't consider! Way to go, Maya!_

"Unfortunately for your case, that seems unlikely," Puff Huffington said. "You see, changing the time and date setting on this camera would take at least a full three minutes. The time it would take for a ten year old to accomplish this task is far greater than the time it would have taken to remove the staff from his chest."

"Not to mention," von Karma added, suddenly glaring daggers at Nick and Maya, "that such a statement accuses poor young Edward Bloominflaur of being complicit in the—completely imaginary, I must add—framing of your client, Mr. Phoenix Wright."

"I guess it would," Wright answered, trying not to cow to von Karma's persuasive abilities. (Most of which involved her whip.)

"But as you know from yesterday, young Edward is a huge fan of your client, Mr. Phoenix Wright. Why would he frame Robin, the hero he adores more than any other?"

"I have… no explanation for that," Nick admitted, cursing mentally.

"In that case, I'm afraid you'll have to be penalized again, Mr. Wright."

"WHAT!?" Nick gasped. "I didn't mean to—"

"I'm sorry," the Judge said. "But baseless accusations won't be permitted in this courtroom." The gavel came down and Phoenix felt his case going up in smoke.

He sat down and sighed.

"Does the prosecution have any more witnesses to call to the stands?"

"No, your honor. You might as well deliver your verdict at this moment."

"Hold it!" Wright blasted. "We've not even explored the whole part where my client has no motive, your honor! If he wasn't on the planet when the forged documents that give him motive were created, then there's a whole avenue to attack!"

_**CRACK!**_

The end of Franziska's whip stung against Nick's face even after the physical object itself had retracted. "You'd be wise to keep your plans and stratagems a bit closer to the vest, Mr. Phoenix Wright."

_I'm going to whip__** her**__ some day,_ Wright growled mentally. Then quickly tried to dismiss the very disturbing notions brought up when his id began pushing other uses for whips to the forefront. _Bad choice of words._

Wright felt Robin poke him on the shoulder, and turned. "Put me on the stand. Bring up Timothy Drake."

"Are you sure? I'm not convinced he's not you."

"Just do it. Leslie Thompkins will be here, I hope. Until then I need to stall for time."

"Fine." Wright turned to the judge. "I want to bring Robin back to the stand."

The Judge nodded and allowed the defendant to take the stand. "Every word you say will be watched carefully, young man."

"I understand." Robin sat down and Phoenix stood up.

"Alright," the blue-clad attorney began. "You insist that you aren't Tim Drake but that you've heard this name. Can you elaborate on that?"

"Drake is dead," Robin said. "I'll explain what happened though I'm not capable of proving it right now. I'll let the judge be the gauge of my credibility.

"Tim Drake was adopted by Bruce Wayne four years ago following the death of Drake's father. Unfortunately, Wayne's considerable amount of money was... coveted, and Drake was kidnapped by the supervillain known as The Joker."

The very mention of Joker's name drew several gasps from the audience.

"After three weeks, Mr. Wayne was desperate and through some shady contacts that I didn't even know existed, asked Batman to track Drake down. Batman, myself, and Batgirl discovered Drake's location and brought the ransom money. Unfortunately the Joker was duplicitous as usual. We gave him the money, he gave us Drake. But he'd done things to the kid—shocked him and pumped him full of serums."

Robin's stone face winced, the memories obviously painful. Wright thought he was struggling to continue… _Wow, it must have been awful._

"Joker turned Drake into a miniature version of himself. He laughed about how brilliant he was. Then the Joker ordered him to kill Batman, and tossed him a spear gun. But instead of shooting Batman, Drake attacked the Joker and pushed him into one of the electrodes Joker had shocked Drake with, then turned up the voltage. Joker died."

More shocked gasps, even from Raven and the rest of the Titans.

"After that, we took Drake back to Bruce Wayne's estate and he sent him to his physician Leslie Thompkins. The next I heard, Drake was dead."

Suddenly, Franziska von Karma burst out laughing. "You expect me to believe this ludicrous story without a shred of evidence?"

"You accused me of being Tim Drake with _forged_ evidence," Robin replied. "I think I have the moral high ground here."

The gavel came down. "Mr. Robin, Miss von Karma clearly didn't know the evidence had been forged and isn't the one on trial for murder. You will control your tongue."

Robin didn't respond. Wright arced his eyebrow and held onto his Magatama. Sure enough, Robin was hiding something…

But what? What was going on in that head of Robin's?

* * *

The previous night, the streets of Bludhaven had been typically busy. Muggings here and there, some cocaine smugglers. No-Arms McKee had moved back up to Gotham, but some villains like Blockbuster wouldn't let their little rat hole city go…

And Robin hadn't found anyone more threatening than your average crack junkie looking for someone to buy from.

Suddenly a series of muffled explosions drew Robin's attention to the south east, and he began running off in that direction. His body protested, telling him it hadn't had enough sleep or enough exercise to justify such stress, but Robin couldn't listen to it. He flipped over an air conditioning unit and leapt over one last alley before finding a vacant lot…

Well, vacant, except for a robotic supervillain and a young man in a black jumpsuit with a blue eagle across the chest.

* * *

Nightwing hurled himself at the robot in front of him, the one known as the Plutonium Man, and flung an N shuriken at it. The projectile exploded, but it only stunned the massive machine, and Plutonium man through a punch that clobbered Nightwing, sending him crashing into a pile of garbage.

"Least it was relatively soft," Dick Grayson commented to himself. He struggled to his feet fast enough to dodge an energy blast from the Plutonium Man and rolled out of the way of a follow up shot. Dick pulled a pair of escrima sticks from his belt and bounded in a strafing charge towards his foe, hoping to get a clear shot at the robot's head…

Unfortunately, not all robots are created equal, and this particular one could completely pivot around on its torso—which it did, smashing Nightwing into a chain link fence.

It wasn't pleasant at all.

Worse, when Dick opened his eyes, the robot was aiming its plasma canon directly at his head. There was no way Nightwing could get out of the way in time…

"For TO MORROW!"

But before a loud zapping sound and pain were all Nightwing knew, he heard a different sound…

And saw a small explosive disk fall into one of the ventilation holes of the plasma cannon.

_**KRAKOW!!**_

The blast severed the entire arm and staggered the robot, even as the robot's attacker landed next to Nightwing, his bo-staff out at the ready.

"Robin!" Nightwing gasped. "Shouldn't you be in jail?"

"I snuck out." Robin's only reply.

"Why?"

"I needed to talk to Leslie—and to you. Your name has come up in some of the evidence. Apparently the victim left a note for you in is apartment—four years ago."

Plutonium Man lurched forward, indicating he'd recovered.

Nightwing ran at the Plutonium Man and Robin was right beside him. "I'd never even heard of Frank Newitt till this case broke. This is as much a mystery to me as it is to you."

Nightwing and Robin attacked the giant robot in tandem; Nightwing went high and Robin went low, and then vice-versa. Soon only a pile of scrap remained.

"Holy clean up crews, Batman." Dick said with a self-depreciating smirk. "Seriously though, Plutonium Man's name isn't just hyperbole. I'm going to have to call in a radiation crew. Thanks for the save, by the way."

"No problem," Robin said, allowing himself a smirk as well.

"And Tim…"

"Hm?"

"You do realize you take yourself way too seriously, don't you?"

Robin extended a hand and shot his Bat-grapple skyward. "So they tell me."

Nightwing watched as Tim vanished back into the shadows. "Maybe it's time me and Barbara paid a visit to Jump City."

* * *

Robin sat back down in the defendant's chair. "We need to stall for more time. Have Raven or Starfire testify about the woman that attacked them and Maya yesterday."

Nick regarded him oddly. "Are you sure I'm _your_ legal counsel?"

"A superhero can't legally defend himself without unmasking. Please just stall for a little more time."

Von Karma was tapping her fingers impatiently against the prosecution's desk when Nick finally decided to act. "Alright, I'm going to call Starfire of the Titans to the stand."

The young alien princess goggled. "Me?"

"Is there any other Starfire here?" Wright asked with a friendly smile."

* * *

On the other side of the room, a dark-haired young Myorgian woman in a black and yellow costume and a large muscular man in soviet winter solider uniform got up and left the courtroom, their heads hanging dejectedly.

* * *

"Please state your name and occupation," said the judge.

Starfire nodded respectfully. "Yes, Friend Your Honor. I am Koriand'r, princess of the planet Tamaran and a member of the Teen Titans. In your language, you may say my name as Star Fire."

"Very well," the judge said, slightly bewildered to have space royalty in his court.

"Miss Starfire," Wright began, drawing a giggle from the alien princess. "Would you please testify as to what occurred yesterday in the office of Frank Newitt in the Moby Paper Factory?"

"Ah yes," Starfire beamed. "Raven and Friend Maya and myself were investigating any possible leads as to why Mr. Newitt was killed. You see, Raven is a psychic—" Starfire briefly glanced in Raven's direction in the stands and tilted her head oddly when Raven gave her a cautioning glance. "—and she sensed that something was amiss in the room."

"Can you please be more specific than that?" von Karma pulled her coiled whip tightly. "What was 'amiss' about this office?"

Starfire glared. "If the unkind prosecutor would allow me to finish, I would explain this. You see, we found that there was someone or something in the room that had disguised itself. It appeared on the shelf as a fortunetelling orb of the billiards."

"She means a magic 8-Ball, your honor," Wright explained.

"Yes! Raven cast a spell on the orb that revealed its true nature, and as she did so, we were attacked by a strange flying woman."

"Oh, really? Is a woman with the ability to fly really so strange?" Franziska asked.

"That was not the strange part about her," Starfire began. "It was as though she was made of light—a hologram perhaps. Yet she struck us with far more power than expected, disabling us long enough to escape through a window."

_**CRACK!**_

Von Karma's whip lashed out and struck Starfire across the face. The prosecutor leaned forward and began spewing venom. "You expect us to believe this on your word alone? This court has no proof that what this witness is saying even occurred!"

Before Starfire could vaporize von Karma for the attack--

"_**OBJECTION!" **_

The cry of Phoenix Wright brought all eyes to him. "The Titans are nothing if not professional," he explained. "This piece of evidence was added to the court record only this morning. Over thirteen eye witnesses saw the battle between Starfire, Raven, and the mysterious flying woman."

Von Karma reeled as if physically injured by Wright's evidence.

Starfire continued. "And as I am sure the witnesses will agree, the battle ended when the woman who called herself Ten spoke a farewell in one of this planet's many languages and vanished in a flash of light."

"Very well," von Karma said. "Now, what does all this mean? You were attacked by a supervillain?"

Wright slammed his hands down against his desks. "Don't be so blind, von Karma! It's obvious why this is significant—there was a supervillain in Frank Newitt's office the day after the murder! This woman was either looking for something—or trying to plant more forged evidence!"

Phoenix's music began blaring in his mind as he placed his hands on his hips and smiled smugly. "Your case is losing its legs, Franziska."

TWHAP!!!

The sting of her whip knocked Phoenix back into his seat.

"This is an outrage! You're basing your case on nothing but meaningless conjecture! Perhaps the supervillain thought that merely since the victim no longer needed Frank Newitt's things, they could simply steal anything they wished from the deceased's office."

Wright grimaced. "I suppose that's possible."

"There. You see. All you had was baseless innuendo. And without any solid evidence to disprove the motive—your case shall fail."

"_HOLD IT!"_

This time the voice did not belong to Phoenix Wright. Once again, eyes and necks craned, but this time to see who had just entered the courtroom. An elderly woman who looked to be in her sixties was accompanied by a red-haired woman with glasses and a tall man, both of whom looked to be in their mid-to-late twenties.

"And who are you?" the judge asked the woman.

"My name is Dr. Leslie Thompkins," she explained, drawing recognition from the audience. "I expect that I'm on the list of defense witnesses."

The judge looked over the list and nodded. "Indeed you are, though I was under the impression you would be unable to present yourself in court today."

"When Mister Wayne's name is being dragged through the mud in this manner, I suppose he thinks it is his duty to send someone to clear it."

Wright stepped forward. "Then I would like you to testify about the impossibility of Robin being Tim Drake. The court has already been made aware of the circumstances that lead up to him coming into your care."

"Indeed." Leslie Thompkins sat down at the witness chairs, and the two accompanying her sat down in the audience. "I don't pretend to know the details of the night young Tim Drake was rescued from the Joker. I'm a pacifist by nature and abhor the actions of the Batman, though I don't deny that they may be necessary. However, Tim Drake was brought to me by Bruce Wayne himself. Mister Wayne didn't want a media frenzy over the kidnapping of his adopted son, and instructed me to keep the affair as quiet as possible."

"Very well." This from von Karma.

"I began therapy sessions with young Drake, gradually undoing the damage that the Joker had done to him. Unfortunately, the closer Tim got to sanity, the more divorced from his life he became. One night he tied his bed sheets around his neck and the bed posts and threw himself out a five story window. I was devastated, and so were Mr. Wayne and his older surrogate son Dick Grayson. We buried him at a private cemetery near Mr. Wayne's parents and tried to avoid making this public until now."

"Because this is the second child Mr. Wayne lost, correct?" Von Karma's voice made it clear she was more concerned with how that fact benefited her case than she was with the welfare of Mr. Wayne's children.

The man and woman who had accompanied her in, as well as Thompkins herself, visibly winced. "This is correct, though I would hardly have called Jason Todd a son to Bruce in the way Mr. Grayson and Tim Drake were."

Phoenix looked over at Robin, who was sitting stone faced looking over the proceedings. It seemed harsh that he could be so cold. Then he noticed something even more peculiar. All the while Thompkins spoke, Raven's face was wincing in pain, her eyes shut as tightly as humanly possible… As though Raven was being hurt by the testimony more than Robin was…

Franziska's voice broke him out of his reverie.

"One last thing," von Karma said. Wright thought he saw her licking her lips out of the corner of his eye. "You do have evidence to back this up, correct?"

"Of course." Dr. Thompkins handed a small folder to Franziska von Karma, who looked through it before passing it on to the judge.

"This is Drake's death certificate and photos of his hanging." The judge looked vaguely queasy. "This is disturbing but quite convincing evidence."

Franziska von Karma sat down without saying a word. But the look she gave Nick spoke far louder and clearer than any words she could have spoken. She was pure rage, and the only thing holding her back was the presence of seven superheroes and the bailiff in the court room.

"The prosecution has no further questions," she finally acquiesced.

"This case has become quite unnerving, but so far I've seen nothing to convince me that Robin didn't commit the murder—nor have I seen anything to convince me that he did. Therefore, I shall adjourn the court for one more day and we shall conclude proceedings tomorrow."

The gavel came down, signaling the end of an arduous battle.

But the anger Wright had seen in Franziska's eyes?

The battle was won, but the war was far from over.


	6. Phoenix Rising

**Turnabout Titan  
Chapter Six – Phoenix Rising**

"That went about as well as could be expected." Victor Stone shrugged his massive mechanical shoulders. "But we're not out of the woods yet."

"You think I don't know that?" Robin snapped. "Cyborg, What just happened had to happen. That doesn't make the fact we're lying under oath any easier of a pill to swallow."

"Not so loud man," Cyborg warned, leaning forward. "Just because I didn't detect any listening devices in there doesn't mean there aren't any eavesdroppers doin' it the old fashioned way."

Robin nodded and scooted closer to the glass divider. "We have other problems. I think Mr. Wright is getting suspicious. He saw Raven in court today—he saw her taking my emotions from me so I could keep a straight face during Dr. Thompkins' testimony."

Cyborg grimaced. He knew that Phoenix had a sharper mind than he'd be letting on, and he knew that he'd gotten curious. That much was obvious in the way Wright kept looking at Robin, shooting glances at him during the trials. But he hadn't known about him seeing Raven. "You think he can figure anything out from that?"

"If he's as good as Yin says he is, I don't doubt it. Where is he now?"

"I told him you didn't want to talk to him, so he took his sidekicks and headed back to their hotel."

Robin nodded somberly, but then a strange look crossed his face—one hard to make out behind the mask. Robin's mouth went flat, but his eyes darkened as though suddenly considering a horrible possibility.

"Vic, if the people who framed me are capable of murdering Frank Newitt—"

"Aw, crud!" Cyborg spat. "You don't think—"

"It's possible. They'll make it look like an accident, though. Go make sure Wright and the girls are safe and get them to the Tower ASAP!" Robin stood up out of his chair and pressed his hands against the glass. "I refuse to let a civilian die on my behalf."

Cyborg tried to think of anything to add, but found that he had nothing, and darted out of the room. He opened a panel on his arm and activated his communicator. "BB, where are you?"

The static resolved into the image of the green shape-shifter. "I'm at the arca—I mean… looking for clues. At the arcade. Yeah."

"Get your butt out of there and head for the Hotel where Wright is staying ASAP! Robin thinks the people who framed him are going to take a swipe at the lawyer!"

Beast Boy growled—quite literally, as he'd turned into a cougar, drawing screams from the other arcade patrons—and darted out of the establishment, communicator in his mouth.

* * *

"I can't believe that guy," Nick muttered as he tried to change the stereo in Maya's car. "I'm trying to save his life and he doesn't even want to discuss the case with me."

"That Dr. Lady was covered in Psyche-Locks, wasn't she?" Pearl asked from the back seat.

Maya nodded, switching the classical music Nick had turned on to a J-Rock station. "And if she's lying, what does that mean? Is Robin… guilty?" Maya shuddered, perhaps remembering the last time Wright had defended a guilty man. Nick vowed he'd never let her or anyone else close to him go through a hell like that again

"Or it just means he's trying to protect his identity," Nick said, sighing deeply.

The car rolled along, passing Slice Pizza and approaching an intersection ahead where a traffic light had just turned red. "Slow down, Maya, we've got to stop here."

"I… can't!" Maya's voice was full of surprise and worry. "The brakes have just… stopped working!" The left lane was full of traffic; she couldn't swerve and she was going at least forty miles an hour as she barreled towards the red light…

"What do you mean the brakes stopped working!?" Nick shouted..

Maya pumped them as hard as her scrawny little legs could manage, shouting for them to work through clenched teeth. But to no avail; the careened forward and slammed into an SUV, the windows of the larger vehicle shattering. They'd only swiped it though, and the momentum spun them around as their tires screeched…

And their windshield filled with the image of a bus hurtling towards them, blowing its horn but unable to stop in time. Nick clutched his seatbelt and whispered a prayer and hoped someone was listening…  
_**  
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!**_

The deafening sound of two metal objects slamming into each other filled ears of Wright and the Fey sisters… but they only felt a slight jolt…

When Nick finally braved opening his eyes, he saw their rescuer—a blue and white sedan that resembled the Gadgetmobile updated for the 21st century…

"The Scary-Cyborg-Man's car!" Pearl cried…

She was right: the T-Car was wedged in between the car and the bus, all four of the T-Car's tires now somehow coated in metal spikes.. After a few pedestrian screams and a lot of screeching brakes. The roof of the T-Car flew off and Cyborg climbed out, looking a bit dizzy but otherwise okay. He immediately ran over towards the car while a green blur appeared in front of them and ran towards the bus.

"It's Beast Boy," Maya observed.

She too was right, Wright observed. The blur transformed into a series of animals, tearing off the roof of the bus and then turning into a small brontosaurus and allowing the bus passengers to climb out over his tail and slide down his neck to the relative safety of the intersection…

All this occurred while Cyborg checked on Nick, Pearl, and Maya.

"You okay man?" asked the half-metal behemoth.

Nick nodded. "Yeah… Just a bit shaken up. What happened? Maya said the brakes weren't working, but they worked when we first left the court room."

"I have a feeling they were sabotaged," Cyborg said. "Someone wanted to make you dead—and make it look like an accident. Robin was right—"

"A little too right, if you ask me. Right, Wright?"

"Are you talking to me, Maya?" Nick goggled.

"How did Robin know exactly when to send you to prevent us from getting squished!?" Maya demanded, in full-attack mode. Phoenix hadn't seen her _this _up-in-arms since the most recent attempted cancellation of _Steel Samurai._

"What?!" Cyborg gasped. "He didn't KNOW when to send me! He just suggested you might be in trouble. I was heading for your hotel."

Maya looked over at the car and shrugged, her fury mostly gone, but her suspicion still clearly there. "Nick… How can we be sure Robin is innocent when he won't even square with you on who he is?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Cyborg blurted.

By this time, Beast Boy had joined them and interjected his two cents into the matter. "Robin would never try to kill you. Not only are you his lawyers, but also—he couldn't have gotten out of jail. How could he mess with your brakes from inside the detention center?"

Maya raised a finger to make a point, but had none. She lowered her finger and stared at Beast Boy's boots. "It just seems fishy. And… well.. I've had some bad experiences."

Wright frowned, he figured he might as well elaborate. "I was once coerced into defending a guilty client," he explained. "And Maya was their leverage. She was kidnapped by an assassin and…" Wright winced. "…Deprived of food for three days."

"Oh, man…" Cyborg grimaced. "I had no idea.."

"Look, if you haven't noticed," Beast Boy interjected, "We're standing around in an intersection at the scene of an attempted murder. We might want to head back to the tower before whoever set this up tries again!"

"Will the T-Car even drive after that?" Nick asked.

Cyborg grinned. "Oh yeah. It takes more than a little bus to put my baby out of commission."

"Alright," Maya said. "I trust you… Cyborg."

"Huh?"

"You're like the Tin Man from _Wizard of Oz_," Maya beamed. "Even if Robin is scum, I know you have the biggest heart of anyone on the Titans."

Cyborg shrugged. "I uh.. guess.. I mean.. thanks."

Pearl giggled. "He's blushing! I didn't know robot people could blush!"

Beast Boy led Maya and Pearl over to the back seat of the T-Car, and Wright and Cyborg got into the passenger and driver's seats in the front. "You should see him when he's angry," Beast Boy said. "He turns as red as Superman's cape."

* * *

"KAME-HAME-HA!" Starfire screamed, jamming on the circle button on her controller. Her little spiky-headed anime man threw a huge blue energy beam at the shorter, spiky-headed anime man that Raven was controlling. Both girls were sitting on the floor with their backs against the sofa, and Raven began jamming on the buttons to avoide the attack.

This was the scene that Cyborg, Beast Boy, and the law offices walked into upon.

Everyone except Pearl facevaulted, and Raven glanced up from the game and sweatdropped.

"_Budokai Tenkaichi_, Raven?" Beast Boy's expression didn't change; his jaw practically dragged the floor as he took a step forward. "Seriously."

"Um…" Raven continued to sweat-drop. "This isn't what it looks like?" Dark energy reached out and turned off the power on the Gamestation XL, drawing a glare from Starfire. She simply hovered up from the floor and onto the couch.

Then Starfire noticed the guests and rushed over to greet them, her usual exuberance returning somewhere between the couch and the door. "Acquaintances Pearl and Maya. It is wonderful to see you again."

"I wish it were under better circumstances," Phoenix said with a sigh. "You wanna tell them or should I, Victor?"

Cyborg nodded. "Someone tried to kill Wright and the girls. Me and Beast Boy got there in time, but we're afraid they'll try again, so we brought them to the Tower for their protection."

"Are we going to coordinate on the investigation of murder?" Starfire inquired.

"What's left to do?" Wright shook his head. "Tomorrow von Karma is going to do everything in her power to discredit Dr. Thompkins' testimony. Then what? If we can't disprove Robin's identity—"

"We'll have to hope she doesn't come up with anything." Raven said.

"If you think _that _will happen you don't know Franziska von Karma. Even if she can't find any solid evidence to damage Thompkins, she'll take the smallest inconsistencies and destroy her with it."

Wright walked over and sat down in an easy chair in the Ops room, and leaned forward with his hand on his chin, looking like a clothed spiky-haired version of _The Thinker_. _How do we do this_ he asked himself. _How do we prove something that I'm not even sure of myself._

"Myself." He thought aloud. "I wonder…"

"Do you have an idea?" Starfire asked, hovering near the attorney. "You seem to be lost in thought."

"Just something that the kid—Eddie Bloominflaur—said." Wright looked at Cyborg. "Remember when he got worked up and said that _he_ was the one who killed Robin?"

"You don't seriously think a little kid could ram a bo-staff through the guy's chest, do you?"

"No, that's not what I'm suggesting," Wright said. "But it's still something I want to look at."

"There might be something else you want to look at," came a previously unheard voice. All heads turned to see who had spoken, and found Yin standing in the hallway in jeans and a Yin-Yang T-Shirt, holding a large square object in his hands. As he approached, Phoenix realized it was a large sketch pad. Yin held up the pad, the drawings towards Phoenix and the others; one of the drawings was finely detailed, fitting the description of the mysterious villainess Ten, the woman who had attacked Raven, Star, and Maya a day earlier.

The other four sketches were less detailed, but came in clear-cut shapes and were all distinct, and they were all labeled: King, Queen, Jack, Ten, and Ace. Below them was written: THE ROYAL FLUSH GANG.

"What's this all about?" Phoenix asked the young elastic Titan.

"Well, I was Yahoogling villains with possible ties to this Ten character, trying to figure out who she was, and I pulled up a bunch of hits on this Royal Flush Gang."

"I heard about them," Cyborg said. "The Joker broke some government controlled metahumans out and sent them on a path of revenge a few years ago."

"But the originals are all gone," Yin said, sitting down at the Ops computer and bringing up a MyTube video—the images appeared with narration by a voice that Phoenix instantly recognized as the Joker—recently revealed to have been killed by Tim Drake in this very trial. The video showed a young black male withstanding a direct blast from a squad of flamethrowers and lifting a small building above his head, and later showing him fighting members of the Justice League, dressed in a red sleeveless unitard with a red flair collar, riding on a giant playing card.

"I take it that's the original ten," Raven said. "What happened to him?"

"Prison," Yin replied somberly. "Just like all other members of the Royal Flush Gang, save for the original Ace, who died a couple years ago of an aneurism. The most recent version of the Gang appeared in Las Vegas, raiding casinos. They don't seem to have any relation to the previous versions."

"So it's like a brain-bug," Maya said. "Something that gets in the public consciousness and then gets further and further from it's original meaning."

"Right," Yin said. "Like how the Evil Magistrate in _Steel Samurai _flipped out and killed his assistant one time in the first season and since then he's been written as almost completely evil with none of the subtle nuance his character was originally know for!"

Maya blinked, leaning back with her arms stretched out to her sides. "That's not what I was thinking about, but you're right!"

"Enough about television," Raven cut in. "What's so important about the Royal Flush Gang's involvement? Robin's never _fought_ the Royal Flush Gang, to my knowledge." She hovered over to Yin and took the sketch pad from his hands.

"There are five RFG members—one for each card in a Royal Flush. King, Queen, Ace, Jack, and Ten. Just like there are five members in the Bloominflaur family."

"What? You're saying the whole family is in on this?" Nick shook his head. "How could such a normal-seeming family be a bunch of supervillains? The Bloominflaurs have no connections to crime and nothing that even approaches a criminal record. And somehow I doubt little Jasmine could fit the bill of Ten _or_ Queen."

"There was something funny about that older kid, Ted." Cyborg pressed a few buttons on his left arm, which transformed into a hologram projector; it immediately emitted an image of Ted Bloominflaur, but not a photograph—an X-Ray scan.

"Where did you get that?" Beast Boy asked. "You weren't there."

"I saw him leaving the courtroom before the proceedings were over today," Cyborg replied, so I followed him out and took this picture as I passed him in the hall. Look near his right thigh."

The hologram zoomed in on the right thy, and there was clearly some sort of inconsistence—portion of what appeared to be bone stuck out. Then the skeleton vanished, and the extraneous piece remained.

"It looks like… A wire cutter.." Nick gasped. "The brakes on our car—"

"Yup. If he cut your brakes, this case gets a whole lot weirder, and more dangerous."

"But we can't prove that he did it," Raven reminded them. "The fact that he has wire cutters is certainly strange, but not illegal in and of itself."

"But we're getting nowhere." Wright stood up, his quandary over. Finally he had some clarity. "I've been going about this case I'm all wrong, doing exactly what Franziska wants me to. I went out of my way to prove that Robin isn't Tim Drake—a fact I'm not even sure of myself."

"Robin wouldn't lie in court," Yin blurted. "I mean.. I don't think he would.."

"It doesn't matter, because it's not relevant to the case anymore. We've proved the evidence was forged, hence the motive isn't there. Now I need to do what I do best."

"What's that!" Pearl shouted, gasping more than asking.

"I put the guy I think is guilty on the stand and grill them till they're extra crispy." Nick smirked, and stroked his chin. "Now we just need to gather some evidence and get our facts straight for the trial. I'd also like to give the crime scene a once-over before we head to trial tomorrow—we're going to be winging it, big time."

"Yay!" cried Pearl. "Wait, what is winging-it?"

* * *

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos." The cool December breeze fluttered across the roof of Titans Tower, carrying Raven's mantra out into the world, even as the afternoon began to wane slowly towards dusk. 

Soft footsteps alerted Raven to the presence of another on the roof with her, and she turned to greet the newcomer.

"Hi," Maya Fey said nervously. "Cyborg said you wanted to see me."

Raven nodded. "I wanted to talk to you about your powers."

Maya was clearly shocked, her eyes widening. "Powers!? What? I don't have any powers! Do I?"

Raven blinked. "You can summon the dead. I'm pretty sure that counts as a power."

"Oh, _that_," Maya visibly exhaled with relief. "It's not a power, it's my job. That's what Spirit Mediums do."

"No, _most_ spirit mediums are frauds who rip off their clients for cheap parlor tricks. The fact that you can actually do it is astounding, Maya. But there's something you need to know about your abilities."

"Huh?" Maya sat down beside Raven, and leaned closer to her. "What do you know about the Kurain channeling techniques?"

"Your village was started by Ami Fey, an immigrant from Japan after the end of the second World War. She came to America with her husband, a Marine, and started your village, passing on what she'd learned from her ancestors in Japan to her descendants." Raven leaned back. "But I doubt even they knew the toll such techniques could take on the human soul."

"What?" Maya was shocked. "Are you saying I'm hurting Mia's soul any time I summon her?"

"Your sister," Raven began, "doesn't appear to be suffering from your channeling. I have a few guesses as to why that is but—" Raven trailed off, then turned, facing Maya directly. Raven took Maya's hands in her own and began channeling her energies, until the both of them were hovering slightly off the ground.

Raven then chanted a spell she'd been preparing since she'd first seen Maya transform into the likeness of her sister two days ago; energy began swirling around them and she felt the jewel on her ajna chakra get warm… And then everything went white even through her closed eyelids, her mind fluttering out of her body as Maya and Raven traveled to another plane of reality--

When she opened her eyes, the roof of Titans Tower was gone, and Raven and Maya were in a massive stone room, with equally gargantuan stone stairs leading up to a door. On that door were inscribed three words:

**LIFE AND DEATH**

Millions of lucent blue orbs were hovering around the door, and as they approached it they took human form, and a woman dressed in black and wearing an ankh necklace escorted them to the other side.

Maya screeched, recoiling from the sight, terrified by the surreal nature of the entire scene. "EEAUGH!! Where are we! Raven, take us back! Take me back! I don't like this place!"

"Relax," she said, projecting soothing emotions as best she could with her empathic powers. "We've not left the roof of Titans Tower. This is just a vision." Technically that wasn't totally true. Their bodies were indeed on Titans Tower, but their minds had left, their consciousness in a higher plane.

Raven took Maya's hand and the two of them hovered up to get a better view of the door…

"It's written in English," Maya said. "That's so weird—you think it would be written in the language of whoever built it. Unless the British built the universe." Maya gasped. "Wow! That would explain everything!"

"The door appears as close as to what your mind can comprehend," Raven said. "This is the barrier between this world and the afterlife. Death escorts all those she claims to the other side, and to tear someone back once they've passed beyond is risky. Depending on how long they've been gone and where they ultimately ended up, it may be impossible."

"Wow…" Maya stared at the souls of people as they crossed over. Some of them seemed content, others seemed terrified. Yet more seemed to be in a daze, not even noticing what was going on.

Maya turned and regarded Raven. "You said I could hurt people by channeling them? What about my sister?"

"Your sister is a special case; I believe she has an anchor, something here that tethers her to this world. A powerful connection to an object or person."

"Oh, I know what you mean!" Maya said. "The vase that Ami Fey's soul is trapped in, or the giant rock at the Kurain village that houses the souls of departed villagers—"

Raven nodded. "I suspect her tether to this world is—"

"ME!" Maya blurted. "Me and Pearly. That must be it. She stays here to help us out because we're her family!"

Raven blinked. That wasn't what she had meant to say—she was going to say that Mia's tether was Phoenix Wright. That was her theory, at least. But Maya's suggestion made just as much sense, and Raven had been basing the idea the tether was Wright solely on the notion that they had been involved romantically—something she wasn't even sure of.

The scene at the Door of Life and Death resolved back into the roof of Titans Tower as the two girls awoke from their trance.

"It's getting cold. We should get inside!" Maya stood and began to run towards the door to the Tower.

"I'll make some hot chocolate," Raven said as she followed the Spirit Medium. "I don't have to drink herbal tea all the time."

* * *

"Now this is weird," Cyborg said.

Yin craned his neck and then slid his rolling chair over to see what the Million Dollar Teen was talking about. "Huh?"

"I've been basically hacking into databases to see if I could find anything I missed about the Bloominflaurs, and as expected, I've come up with jack. Nothing's here at all. And in once case, there's things that should be there, but they aren't. Missing information."

"In English, please." Yin shrugged, not sure what Cyborg was getting at. It seemed like he was _trying _to build up Davis' anticipation.

"Medical records," Cyborg said. "I found Ted's birth certificate and a record of his high school graduation, but it's like the kid has never been sick or had an injury. It's like he's a non-entity, man. A walking John Doe."

Yin's teal eyes widened. "Vic, this is huge—I have no idea what it means, but it may be something that could break the case. Because if someone in that family is good enough to hack the tower, then how could they not be good enough to create a son they never had?"

"Right. I'm gonna go show Phoenix what we found."

"And I'm gonna search MyTube for videos that bash the Playstation 3," Yin said, matching Cyborg's level of seriousness pitch-perfectly.

Vic just shook his head and groaned as he left the room.

* * *

"Why did you bring us back to this place?" Starfire inquired as she hovered towards the bookshelf in the late Frank Newitt's office where Ten had sat disguised as a magic 8-Ball—somehow. "I failed to see any evidence yesterday, and I do not imagine that we shall find any more here today." 

Her companion, Ragnarök sighed, glanced under the desk, and then placed both his gloved hands on it before answering. "Kori, I know this seems pointless, but Wright wanted us to investigate this. And as Cy pointed out, my visor might pick up something Raven's empathy missed."

"This is true," Starfire said. "You know, Collin—I admire you for this. You do not particularly like Robin, yet you are helping him through this crisis."

Rag shrugged. "Not liking someone doesn't mean I let them go down for a crime they didn't commit. Besides, Robin was the one who put my membership up to vote instead of letting his own bias kick me off the team. Granted, bias exists, but at least he recognized it."

"He _is _pleased with your progress." Starfire smiled. "As am I."

Ragnarök didn't say anything, instead tapping his visor with a finger and scanning along the walls and floors for anything at all that might have been missed the first fifteen times.

"Anything?"

"Well, I didn't see anything in infrared, but now I'm getting a really weird energy signature."

"Please define 'weird'—this word can mean many things in your language."

"I have absolutely no idea," Rag said. "But there's a lot of it around this globe."

Starfire observed Rag pick the globe up and examine it. He spun it around its axis a few times, before taking a picture of the Middle East. "I'm not sure why this thing calls Kandaq a Republic, but the weirdness of the energy on whatever this spectrum is might be a clue."

"We should return to the Tower... unless there is anything further you wish to investigate."

"Other than you, you mean?"

"What was that?"

Ragnarök jumped. "Nothing, nothing at all."

Rag flashed a strange grin that made Starfire blush slightly, yet also slightly unnerved her. She suspected that he was once again engaging on 'the hitting-on of girls' with her—

--An action, which, Robin informed her, had nothing to do with actually physically striking them.

* * *

Turning into certain animals was outright exhausting. Brontosauruses, for example. Their bulky bodies drained Beast Boy's considerable energy supplies faster than the end of a sugar rush in the middle of the desert. And yet, for the second time that day, Gar found himself transforming into one, this time to allow Pearl Fey and Phoenix Wright to climb onto the rooftop of the Obstinate Nickel grill and bar—the scene of the crime that started this whole ordeal.

Much of the rooftop was cordoned off with police tape, and the outline of the place where Frank Newitt's body had been found was still visibly outlined in chalk. Beast Boy watched Nick step in front of Pearl to shield her from the splotch of blood that rested against the air conditioner where the victim had met his end, Pearl's gasp making Beast Boy regret bringing the little Spirit Medium with them.

"Nothing looks amiss," Phoenix said. "I don't really feel right sniffing around up here after hours."

"Sniffing?" Beast Boy said. "That gives me an idea." Suddenly, he fell to the ground and became a bloodhound, drawing a giggle from Pearl.

Beast Boy began sniffing around the roof, especially around the spot where Newitt had fallen.

He resumed human form with a scowl on his face. "Dude, whoever killed this guy smells nothing like Robin, that's for sure. And it's familiar, somehow."

"Theodore?" Wright asked, his eyes narrowing.

Beast Boy felt his heart skip and his eyes widened. "You're right, Wright! I mean, that's who I think it is up here. I'll have to check again tomorrow to be certain, as a dog, but I'm like 90 positive."

"Unfortunately," Wright said, "I doubt the court will accept 'I transformed into a bloodhound and matched the scent of the killer to the scent of a witness' as acceptable testimony."

"Aw nuts, you're right." Beast Boy scratched his head. "But at least it gives you the guts to go after the Bloominflaur kid, right?"

"That it does. "

"Guys, there's someone watching us from that window," Pearl shouted.

Beast Boy turned and followed the finger Pearl was pointing with up to the apartment building above them. And through the window, he saw two things. The first to register was that the watcher had spiky hair.

The second was a single phrase:

_Sniper Rifle._

Pure instinct took over Beast Boy's body as he leapt in front of Phoenix and Pearl and felt his right shoulder jerk back a split second before a resounding KABLAM echoed throughout the neighborhood…

Then he felt nothing but pain until blackness consumed his vision.

* * *

"Is he gonna be okay?" Wright demanded, standing over Raven in the safety of Titans Tower. As soon as the bullet had hit the young changeling, Wright had sprung into action. Before the attacker had a chance to reload he grabbed Pearl and hefted her into his right arm and grabbed the hand on Beast Boy's uninjured shoulder, then jumped off the Obstinate Nickel's roof onto a dumpster.

His knees were killing him and he'd broken multiple traffic laws—including driving without a license—to get back to the Tower all the while Pearl was crying in the passenger seat and Beast Boy was bleeding in the back. The escape wasn't exactly narrow, but as the adrenaline and endorphins calmed down, Wright's knees began to ache and he knew it was only a matter of time before the pain got worse.

"He'll be okay," Raven said. "But he'll need to rest."

The other Titans had gathered around as well, all looking worried and frustrated.

"That's two attempted murders in one day," Yin observed. "Whoever this is getting desperate and is afraid we're getting closer to the truth."

"Von Karma will have none of it," Wright muttered. "She'll argue that the attempted murders were Robin trying to throw off suspicion and that the attempts were meant to fail."

"But Robin was in his cell all day!" Starfire blurted.

"Power went out today at the detention center," Cyborg informed them. "Shortly after I left Robin there. No security feed and Robin was unobserved inside his room the whole time."

"How much you want to bet that was planned by whoever framed him?" Raven asked sarcastically.

"More importantly, why would the guys who framed him be playing their hand so far from the vest—to mix two analogies?" Phoenix stroked his chin, noting that he probably needed to shave before the trial tomorrow—and suddenly not caring as he glanced down at the sixteen-year-old kid who'd just taken a bullet for him. "Either they really are getting desperate as Yin said—or this is part of a broader scheme."

"How well can one, or even five people plan? Especially when two of them are six and twelve." This from Raven.

Beast Boy at this moment rolled over, groaning and partially opening his eyes. "Dude, did someone get the license plate number on that armor piercing round?"

"You're gonna be fine, man," Cyborg said. "Take it easy. Raven did what she could but you still need to rest."

Raven stepped forward. "Your armor took most of the impact, but it came on through anyway and broke you collar bone. If it hadn't hit your bone it probably would have hit Phoenix and Pearl as well."

"It didn't hit them?" Beast Boy said. "Good. It means all this suffering isn't pointless. Ouch. Ouch…"

Raven leaned over him. "Gar, did you see who it was that shot you?"

"Eh, he had spiky hair and wore a mask, which narrows it down to the suspect and perpetrator." Beast Boy shook his head. "Of course I know there's no way it was Robin."

Every one of the Titans nodded in agreement, but Phoenix then heard something that he didn't think anyone else heard. Something Ragnarök muttered under his breath. "I know Tim would never do that."

Nick goggled, searching the faces of the other Titans for a reaction to what he'd just heard, but the rest of them were too busy making Beast Boy feel comfortable or too lost in thought to notice.

"If it's not any trouble," Wright began, "I'd like to get up to the detention center before visiting hours are over. I want to talk to Robin a bit before tomorrow's trial."

The Titans began glancing at each other, and finally all eyes rested on Cyborg. "Yeah, I guess I'll run you up there," Vic said at length.

"Thanks, Cyborg."

* * *

Wright slipped into the detention center visiting chamber, Cyborg standing outside his door on guard duty (and jamming any potential listening devices in the area), and strode over to the chair. The guard sent Robin in. Nick immediately noticed that Robin looked completely exhausted, his head drooping forward and his gait slow and laborious—for Robin, at least. 

"You look terrible," Wright said.

"I've not slept much since I got here. I'm afraid someone is going to try to take DNA samples to test my identity."

"Is that a problem—if you don't have a criminal record…"

Robin exhaled sharply, cutting him off. "It's complicated."

"I suppose it is… Tim." Wright clutched his Magatama as he said the final word, and saw five psyche-locks instantly appear on his young defendant.

"If you're trying to bait me into a trap, you're going to have to try harder," Robin said, glaring at the attorney through his mask.

"I wasn't trying to trap you. I just wanted to see your reaction."

"Mr. Wright, I'm not sure what you're thinking, but the idea that you're trying to prove I'm Tim Drake is disconcerting. Supposing you could do this, it would damage your case."

"Would it? We've proved the evidence was forged. Beast Boy and Cyborg have reason to believe that the older child of the Bloominflaurs is the killer. And Beast Boy's been shot."

One of the Psyche-Locks shattered, Robin's eyes widening so that his mask slits were large white circles. "Shot?!"

"We were investigating the crime scene, and someone tried to kill me for the second time today. Beast Boy took the bullet for me, and I'm not going to dishonor his sacrifice by making an argument in court that I know to be a lie."

"If my identity is exposed because of you—Tim Drake or otherwise…" Robin started leaning forward towards the glass that divided them…. But he trailed off, no threat following the conditional. His teeth were bared, though, and the usually-collected Robin was seeping emotion through his mask. Wright smiled inwardly as two more Psyche-Locks vanished.

"Assuming I'm right, I'm not going to expose you," Wright said. "But I need to know. For my own sake. Are you Timothy Drake?"

"Of course not!" Robin blurted, the chains on his Psyche-Locks getting tighter. "It's the very fact that you're prying that bothers me."

"But your name is Tim. I heard Ragnarök let it slip today after Beast Boy said his assailant had spiky hair."

Robin growled, leaning back in his seat. Neither of the two remaining locks budged an inch. "Even assuming my name is Tim, that doesn't prove anything. Tim is a common name. The fact that his attacker had spiky hair is of more interest to me than whatever Ragnarök might have blurted."

"Why is that?"

"The guy who stole my bo-staff had spiky hair."

"And a domino mask?"

"Yeah. The hair was shorter than mine, and the mask seemed red in the admittedly limited light."

Wright smirked. "Did he wear a cape?"

"No." Robin answered evenly—and then he goggled. "Wait. Yin said that in the Turnabout Courtroom you could indict a witness—right?"

Phoenix nodded. "We're all but convinced this Ted Bloominflaur is the killer, and I'm going to prove it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is all you have left. _That's _why you're asking about my identity. You're arguing that it doesn't matter. That—we've been going about this the wrong way."

"I can't win that way, can I? I can't disprove the truth. That's why Raven was leeching your emotions when Thompkins was describing what happened to Drake." Wright stared directly into Robin's eyes; despite the boy's imposing glare, Nick didn't waver until both of the remaining Psyche-Locks shattered completely.

Robin leaned forward and put his head against the glass, and Nick slipped the Magatama back into his pocket. The Boy Wonder remained silent for a time, simply closing his eyes and breathing, perhaps lost in thought.

Finally, he spoke. "No… you can't."

"Then Wayne really is—"

Robin cut him off with a curt shake of his head. "Batman and Wayne are completely different. I went to Batman for help solving the murder of my father—then I found out that it was Wayne's money funding the Batman. I became Wayne's adopted son, and Batman's apprentice. I'm still not sure why they allowed it. But I know why they fired me."

"Fired you?" Wright gasped. "Huh?"

"After the Joker incident—yeah, that really happened—Bruce and Batman both forbid me to be Robin. I think Wayne was just afraid I'd get hurt, that he'd lose me like he lost his parents."

"But Batman?"

"Batman was different. He could barely stand to _look_ at me after what happened. I'd taken a life, and in his eyes, that meant I wasn't trustworthy as a sidekick."

"So you set off on your own." Wright was beginning to understand, finally, what made the kid tick. He wanted so badly to do something to help and yet couldn't. He felt he had to prove himself to Batman, to prove he was more than the kid who killed the Joker.

"I came to Jump City to prove I could fly solo, and ended up starting a team. Irony bites."

"It's okay… And Ti… _Robin_… Thanks for being honest with me."

Robin looked up and shook his head. "None of this can come out in court. None of it."

"I understand." Nick got up, satisfied with what had happened, though still feeling slightly guilty about the perjury they'd already committed. "So, who _is_ Batman?" Wright asked as he left.

"Don't push it," Robin growled.

Nick chuckled, then got up and left the room. It would be a hard battle tomorrow in court, and he needed all the rest he could get.


	7. Trial Day Three

**Phoenix Wright**

**Turnabout Titan**

**Chapter Seven – Trial Day Three**

* * *

**December 19th, 2008**

**9:12 AM**

**Jump City District Courthouse**

**Foyer**

Phoenix Wright looked across the marble-walled foyer of Jump City's courthouse and stared directly at the young man he was about to accuse of murder. Catching Ted Bloominflaur wouldn't be easy; the young man was, at the moment, the picture of poise and decorum. Wright had asked that his younger brother Eddie be added to the witness list, and, as predicted, the rest of the Bloominflaur family returned as well.

Movement nearby caught Nick's attention, and he turned to see Maya and Pearl beside him and several of the Titans not far from them.

Maya was the first to speak. "Did you sleep well last night, Nick?" Her face betrayed her concern rather blatantly. But it wasn't necessary.

"Yeah, I did," Wright nodded. "Because I finally know what I have to do to get Robin off the hook."

"Bluff and make really big assumptions?" Pearl asked.

"Exactly," Wright said with a smirk and a nod. "And right now I'm assuming that if Ted Bloominflaur knew what was coming, he wouldn't look nearly so confident."

The bailiff called for the court defense to enter the room, and Wright turned to head into the court room.

"Do you think you'll need sis's help?" Maya asked him, approaching from behind and tugging on Nick's sleeve.

Wright grimaced. "I'm really not sure, but it wouldn't hurt."

Maya nodded, her frown transforming into her infamous mischievous smile. "In that case we might want the most powerful Spirit Medium there is on Team Wright!"

"Mystic Maya, don't be so boastful!" Pearl scolded. "Mother always said pride was bad!"

_Never one for practicing what you preached, were you Morgan?_ Nick thought. Maya's aunt and Pearl's mother Morgan Fey had been one of the most arrogant women—one of the most arrogant human beings—that Nick had ever met.

"Don't be silly," Maya said, reaching out and placing a hand on Pearl's shoulder. "I'm talking about you, Pearly! You have a lot more spirit energy than I could ever hope to have."

"You really think so?" Pearl beamed.

Wright arched an eyebrow and wondered, briefly, if Maya didn't have an ulterior motive for sending Pearl out with him instead of going herself. He shrugged it off. She probably had a perfectly valid reason.

_Then again, this is __**Maya**__ we're talking about…_

"Last call!" cried the perpetually-rude bailiff. "Get in here, porcupine head."

Wright glared at him, but said nothing. He'd save his words for the courtroom.

* * *

** December 19th, 2008**

**9:34 AM**

**Jump City District Courthouse**

**Courtroom B**

As the trial began, Phoenix Wright began to grow more nervous; now that he knew the entire story about Tim Drake's death was a lie, he knew that Von Karma would be able to use that against him. Franziska had known from the start that it had been a lie, she just lacked a way to prove it yesterday… Or at least that was Nick's theory.

Nick checked the court record one last time, making sure everything he'd need was in place. Von Karma had also submitted some new evidence, including a receipt for an energy drink. _Mocha-pineapple flavored_? Nick thought. _Who would drink that!?_

What happened next was anybody's guess.

"Is the prosecution ready?" asked the British Judge from high atop his bench.

Franziska bowed. "Ready your honor, as always."

"Is the defense ready?"

Nick nodded. "Ready, your honor."

"In that case, we will begin the trial. Yesterday we established that the defendant, Mr. Robin of the Teen Titans, cannot be Timothy Drake, for Mr. Drake committed suicide more than two years ago."

Nick gulped. _Er, sure, we'll go with that,_ he thought.

"Don't worry, Mr. Nick," Pearl comforted. "You know what to do when the time comes!"

The judge continued. "Yesterday the prosecution was unable to present any evidence against the statements of the witness, Dr. Leslie Thompkins. What say you today, Miss von Karma?"

Franziska stood straight as a board, cracking her whip in her hands to silence all the background noise from the audience. "Today, I shall demonstrate that the scenario described yesterday by Robin and Dr. Thompkins is not only untrue, but completely implausible."

"That's quite a bold statement," the Judge said, skepticism apparent in his voice. "But very well. Call your first witness to the stand."

"Dr. Thompkins," von Karma said, nodding to the elderly woman.

Leslie Thompkins walked out to the witness stand, regarding the prosecutor with an expression of concern and confusion. She was as clueless as to what was coming as Nick was, and that didn't bode well.

"Dr. Thompkins," she said, "I'd like to turn your attention to the record of Timothy Drake's death."

"Yes?"

Wright gulped. _Here comes the pain._

"The date on the certificate," she pointed out, and read it aloud. "This document was pulled from a computer, clearly."

"I fail to see the complication," Thompkins replied.

Von Karma gave the woman a smirk of pure self-satisfaction. "There is no mortician's record for Timothy Drake's death on this date. There is no solid physical record anywhere in any of the nine funeral homes in northern Gotham City of a funeral. None of the seven major cemeteries' have an record of Mr. Drake's burial. Computer records exist, but there are no _physical _records."

Von Karma cracked her whip against Dr. Thompkins desk, the sound of thunder cracking throughout the room. And then her voice, almost as loud. "Please explain to the court this discrepancy!"

Dr. Thompkins eyes widened, her mouth falling open. "There… there must be some mistake. I was _there_ when the casket was closed."

"I'm sure you were," von Karma said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Was there anything in the casket?"

"Of course there was!" Dr. Thompkins shot back.

"Objection!" Phoenix cried. "Your Honor, the prosecutor is badgering the witness and asking irrelevant questions."

"Overruled," the Judge responded. "These questions go to the heart of the credibility of the witness."

"Objection!" Wright cried, slamming his hands down. "Since when is _A Time To Kill_ considered valid legal technique!?"

The Judge scowled. "Mr. Wright, your snarky attitude is not appreciated in this courtroom. I'm afraid I'll have to penalize you."

The gavel came down and Phoenix winced as he lost another mark. Three more and he'd be held in contempt, which would be disastrous for Robin's case. And given that, even if he could prove that Robin was not Tim Drake, it wouldn't win him the case, the only course of action he could think of essentially involved sacrificing Dr. Thompkins and her credibility to Franziska.

"No further objections," Nick stated, taking a step back and sitting down. "I'm sorry, Your Honor."

"Very well," replied the Judge. "If you will, Miss von Karma, continue."

"When you saw Jason's body in the casket, what was he wearing?" asked Franziska von Karma. For a moment, Wright thought that Franziska had misspoken, using Jason's name instead of Tim's…

But then his stomach fell to his feet he realized what von Karma had done, and before he could raise his voice to intervene, the damage had been done.

"He was wearing a tuxedo," Thompkins said, looking down at the table, clearly repulsed by what she was describing. "The morticians did a good job of making him look.. like himself."

The courtroom fell silent, as everyone stood and stared at Leslie Thompkins, Phoenix felt himself begin to sweat, and he leaned forward, waiting for Dr. Thompkins to continue. The pain on her face, however, transformed into shock, realization, and horror. The silence continued for another several seconds, until finally, Franziska broke it.

"I do not take delight in using such methods of deception," began the prosecutor, calmly. "But I think the results speak for themselves."

"What do you mean?" Dr. Tompkins asked, though her question sounded entirely disingenuous.

"I asked you about _Jason_'s funeral, and that is what you described," von Karma said, her lip turning up ever-so-slightly in a smirk of satisfaction.

"No," Dr. Thompkins said, her eyes shining with tears of regret. "I assumed.. I assumed that you misspoke and answered the question that you meant to ask. I thought you meant Timothy."

"You answered the question I meant to ask very well, Dr. Thompkins," Franziska said. "Very well indeed."

Leslie slammed her hands onto the podium in front of the witness stand. "_**I**_ was talking about Tim!"

"You weren't," von Karma spat. She pulled her whip up and cracked it against Dr. Thompkins' podium, barely missing the elderly woman's hands. "Let us not mince words; a funeral is a very solemn thing. And save for their black hair and blue eyes, Timothy Drake and Jason Todd shared very few similarities; including their supposed manner of death."

"What are you—" Dr. Thompkins began a question, but Nick realized she reached the answer in her own mind before she finished speaking. Her eyes widened further, her silver hair somehow seeming darker compared to the witness of her eyes.

She explained. "Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne's second adopted son, was killed by—supposedly—a violent motorcycle accident, seven years ago. He suffered many traumatic wounds to all parts of his body, especially his face, as he was not wearing a helmet."

Von Karma's explanation made Nick wince_. I've seen some grizzly things in my career, but the I've never seen anyone outright mutilated. I could never do the kind of work Dr. Thompkins does._

"What relevance does this have to Dr. Thompkins' testimony?" Wright asked, though he feared he already knew where it was going.

"Quite simply, her statement that the morticians _did a good job making him 'look like himself'. _Timothy Drake's funeral, though more recent, if it occurred at all, would have required little such work. Mr. Drake's supposed suicide was by hanging, and…"

Von Karma showed the court the photograph of the suicide that Nick now knew was staged; it simultaneously relieved him to know that the photo before him was fiction and made him sick to his stomach that his own witness had presented it as evidence in a court of law.

"As you can see," began Franziska, "the photo shows the defendant looking _exactly_ like himself. "

Murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom, and the Judge had to use his gavel to quiet everyone. "Order, order in the court," he demanded. "Dr. Thompkins, this is very damaging testimony. Are you certain you wish to continue?"

Dr. Thompkins head fell. "I'm sorry, Your Honor. I must have got the funerals confused. I suppose that the prosecutor's mention… of Jason's name triggered that memory."

"Objection," von Karma blurted. "Just a moment ago you said that you _knew_ I misspoke and gave me the description of Timothy's funeral instead."

Leslie Thompkins practically fell back into her chair, more murmurs drowning out any further voices until the Judge finally managed to quiet the onlookers. The elderly woman simply sat behind her podium, staring at the floor. After a few more seconds, she stood and shook her head. She seemed to return to normal, but Nick noticed that something was different, off. She now looked weary, somehow older. Her confidence, he realized, had been stripped away.

Von Karma was destroying her testimony, her reputation… and perhaps Dr. Thompkins' credibility as a doctor.

"Memory," she began weakly, "Isn't a flawless recording of past events. Sometimes memories can become mixed, confused with other memories of similar events, even years apart."

The Judge didn't seem convinced. "I'm sorry, Dr. Thompkins, but if your memory is not able to distinguish between two separate funerals that happened five years apart and both within the last decade, then perhaps you are not fit to be a witness in this case. Jason Todd is not the one on trial here. I must ask you to step down from the bench at risk of being charged with obstruction of justice."

"If I leave now," Dr. Thompkins said, "I will not be charged with anything?"

"You have not demonstrably committed a crime," the Judge said. "At the moment, at least."

Leslie Thompkins took a slow, deep nod, contemplating her next move. Wright hung his head and found himself unable to look at her until she finally began speaking again.

"In that case," she said, "I plead the Fifth Amendment. I will not risk incriminating myself."

A cacophony of background static drowned out the court room and Nick waited a good minute and a half before the Judge was able to silence them. Slowly, the bailiff escorted Dr. Thompkins out of the room. The witness' chair was now empty, and Phoenix Wright knew exactly who he had to call to the stand.

The Judge, however, had different ideas.

"I think the truth in this matter, has become very clear. Regrettable as it is, I must declare the defendant, Mr. Timothy Drake…"

Sweat running down his brow, his heart racing in his chest, Wright slammed his hands on his desk hoping to get the word out before the gavel came down.

"_**OBJECTION!"**_

"Boy, what is the meaning of this, I've already reached my verdict!"

"Your Honor!" began Phoenix, glancing over at Pearls, who gave him a confident nod. "You referred to the defendant as Timothy Drake. Earlier you said that Jason Todd is not on trial here, correct? Well neither is Tim Drake. This trial is to ascertain whether or not Robin, leader of the Teen Titans, killed a man."

"Can you not see that your client is guilty, Mr. Phoenix Wright?" asked von Karma. "It is over."

"GUILTY OF WHAT!?" Nick demanded. "Guilty of being Tim Drake? Perhaps, perhaps not. _But that's not what this trial is about._"

Von Karma jerked back.

"You fool—"

"I'm not a fool," Nick retorted. "Robin's identity is ultimately irrelevant to this case. We proved that the data on Mr. Newitt in Robin's computer was forged, planted by an unseen force."

Nick reached into his court record and pulled out the photo that Yin had provided for him. "And this photo, taken over ten years ago, clearly proves that Batman and Bruce Wayne are NOT the same person. Both Wayne and Batman interacted with James Gordon, Gotham City's police commissioner. If either of them had not been themselves, Mr. Gordon would have known better than anybody."

The photo depicted Bruce Wayne and Gordon shaking hands, with Batman off to the side and police arresting a man named Hugo Strange in the background. Apparently Strange had been a bona fide mad scientist, convinced he could use machines to see people's deepest, innermost thoughts.

Franziska glowered at Nick, and that anger only helped push the ace attorney onwards.

"Your Honor," Wright said, closing his eyes hoping beyond hope that he didn't screw this up. "One of the prosecution's witnesses, I would like to call back to the stand."

"Oh?" the Judge said. "Which one?"

_Here goes nothing._ "I would like to call… Eddie Bloominflaur to the stand."

KER-WHIP!

The sting of von Karma's whip against Nick's chest caused him to grunt in pain, and he took a step back.

"You foolish fool, what motive could you possibly have for calling such a young boy to the stand?!"

"Your Honor, if this goes nowhere, you may penalize me," Wright said. "But I really have to question him some more. Something about his testimony doesn't add up."

"Oh really?" the Judge asked. "What is it? The Evidence? The details of the murder? A contradiction in the testimony?"

Wright sat down, he had to think this one though, because the look in the Judge's eye told him that if he didn't get this write, the trial would end here and now. The evidence…? No, Wright had plenty of evidence, but it only looked incriminating for Theodore Bloominflaur…

And, despite the misstep of Eddie saying that HE had killed Robin, the explanation von Karma had given had more than satisfied the Judge. A contradiction would get him a penalty too, Wright was certain.

"I believe I would like to question our eye witness on the details of the murder," Wright said. "Despite the photos, I feel that his testimony was rather vague."

The Judge seemed to look over his notes for a moment, before nodding. "Very well, Mr. Wright. I'll allow you to question the boy." Despite his resignation, the Judge was clearly growing weary of the case. "However, first we will take a ten-minute recess."

The gavel came down, and the court was, momentarily, adjourned.

* * *

** December 19th, 2008**

**10:17 AM**

**Jump City District Courthouse**

**Foyer**

Wright sat back on the wooden bench of the Courthouse foyer and sighed. "I hope they don't prepare the kid to lie," he thought aloud.

Don't worry," Pearl beamed. "You've trapped people a lot smarter before, Mr. Nick. You caught… my mom, when she helped that woman kill the rude doctor."

Wright nodded. It wasn't that he thought a ten-year old would out-smart him. He was worried that if the Bloominflaurs really were somehow involved, that they'd coached their kid enough to avoid any traps Wright might lay.

"Nick!" cried Maya. "You were amazing in there!" The young spirit medium practically flew towards him and glomped him. If the bench hadn't been against the wall, it probably would have fallen over from the impact.

"I was?" Wright asked, scratching his head. "I haven't done anything yet. There's still a battle to fight."

"But the Judge was literally handing down the verdict and you were all OBJECTION! And then he let you question the kid again and it was awesome."

"I'm afraid it won't be enough." The voice was nearby, familiar, and apologetic. Nick turned to see a woman with long gray hair standing next to him, her face deeply melancholy.

"Dr. Thompkins," Nick addressed her. "I—I'm sorry I couldn't do anything."

"If anyone should be sorry, it should be me. I betrayed my code of ethics; you stuck to yours. It's, perhaps, a good thing I've retired from general practition. Otherwise I might be forced to resign after this incident." She gave a bitter laugh. "I don't suspect our paths will ever cross again; nevertheless, I wish you luck, Mr. Wright."

Nick stood up, this time leaning closer to the doctor and speaking quietly so that Maya and Pearl would not hear. "I _will_ get him off the hook. Robin didn't murder Frank Newitt."

Dr. Thompkins didn't respond; she simply pulled her purse up over her shoulder and left with Dick Grayson and the red-head that had accompanied her when she first arrived in Jump City.

_They're Nightwing and Batgirl,_ Phoenix realized as they exited the courthouse. He vaguely felt even sicker to his stomach as he realized the extent of the attempted cover-up. Then when he considered that all of their friends and family could be endangered by their identities coming out, he felt slightly better. Phoenix was sure of one thing—he hated moral ambiguity.

"Two minutes," Maya said, glancing at her cell phone.

Nick nodded, and strode quickly across the room to Robin, who was still standing near the bailiff getting a drink of water from the fountain. "Listen, Robin…"

Robin looked up. "I should have expected something like this would happen. I'm not quite sure why, Wright, but my faith in you is increasing. Let's just get this over with."

"I'll do my best," he said.

Robin shook his head. "You'll have to do better than that. I still have no idea why the Bloominflaurs would want to set me up, or what business Frank Newitt had with Nightwing. Nightwing himself had never heard of the man."

Nick shrugged. "I guess that's what we'll have to figure out."

"One minute!" the bailiff shouted to the rest of the Foyer, nearly taking Phoenix's eardrum out of commission by sheer volume.

"Good luck," Robin said, giving him a polite nod as they filed into the Courtroom.

"Time for round two," Nick said. This time it would be an all-out assault on Theodore Bloominflaur.

* * *

**December 19th, 2008**

**10:29 AM**

**Jump City District Courthouse**

**Courtroom B**

"Is the defense ready?" asked the British Judge.

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Is the prosecution ready?"

"As always, Your Honor," Franziska said with a bow.

"Very well. The defense calls Edward Bloominflaur to the stand."

The young boy took the stand once again, clearly in a foul mood. "I still want my book deal," he muttered as he scooted the chair closer to the podium and sat down in it. His hair was barely visible over the podium as it was, so the bailiff gave him a small wooden box to stand on. Nick assumed that was what had happened two days ago, though he had been more focused on the boy's selfish ranting at the time.

"Okay, I'm up here," Eddie said. "Why did you need me to testify—again?"

"You're an eye witness to the crime, correct," asked Wright.

"Yes…" Eddie said, looking at the podium and nodding slightly. "Do I have to talk about it?"

"You saw it from over twenty feet away," Wright said, "And in darkness. I understand that it is traumatic to witness a murder, but I'm afraid I really must go over this again."

Eddie grumbled, but nodded. "Alright, ask away."

"On the night of the murder, what made you look out the window?" Wright asked, already knowing what to expect the answer to be.

The boy seemed to process the question a minute, then said, "I heard a loud crash, like someone smashing into that metal thing on the roof."

"_HOLD IT!" _Wright blurted. "What metal thing on the roof?"

"That big metal thing on the roof of that restaurant. I guess it's the air conditioner. I heard the bang and figured that's what it was coming from."

"That seems a bit odd," Wright said, looking over his notes.

"Why?" asked the boy.

"Well, you live in a fairly large city. Jump City has what, a million, two million people? You must hear loud noises out your window all the time."

"I guess," Eddie said. "But this noise also had a guy screaming with it. The guy who got killed."

"Hm?" the Judge leaned forward. "Perhaps you should add that to your testimony. That's a pretty important detail."

Wright interrupted, not wanting to blow it. "How tall would you say the defendant was?"

Eddie shrugged. "I have no idea, I was pretty far away. As tall as Robin, obviously, since it was him."

"Would you say he was shorter or taller than Frank Newitt?" Wright asked, hoping that the boy had seen them standing for more than a split second..

Eddie seemed to glance up at his family in the audience, as if for guidance. Getting none, he shrugged. "He was tall, much taller than Frank Newitt."

Wright heard someone in the audience bury their face in their palm violently enough to make a noise, and saw that it was Ted Bloominflaur. _Good. I'm on the right track._

"Somehow I doubt that," Wright said, picking up where he left off. "Frank Newitt's height is listed in his profile as 5'8''—Robin's is listed as 5'7''."

Eddie goggled. "Um…"

Von Karma's whip lashed out and whipped the desk. "You foolish foolhardy child! You do not guess at relative height when testifying against a murderer. Mr. Phoenix Wright is well known for using minor details to make the obvious doubted and lies believable!"

Eddie shrieked and retreated from the angry prosecutor.

"Okay, so I heard the noise… and the scream.. and looked out, and saw Robin and I guess shadows made him look taller than he was… He was standing over Frank Newitt, then he twirled the bo-staff around behind his back and plunged it into his chest."

Nick nodded. Time to spring the big trap. "Which hand did he use?"

Eddie held both of his hands up and looked at them, then raised his left one. "He used his left hand." Another sound of face-palming came from the audience.

"Oh?" Phoenix Wright asked. Then he did something rather spontaneous; he pulled a stress reliever that Maya had bought him for his birthday one year and tossed it across the room to Robin. Several confused faces all turned to Robin, who easily reached up and caught the ball with both hands.

"Throw it back," Wright said.

Robin gave him an odd glance and did so with his right hand. "What was the point of that?" he asked.

"You're right-handed," Wright said. "Right?"

Robin's eyes widened, but Eddie's face turned blood red, his eyes widening.

"It seems a bit strange that a right-handed person would commit a murder with his left hand," Nick said. "Furthermore, there is a huge contradiction with the facts of the case."

"What now, Mr. Phoenix Wright? What minuscule detail contradicts this boy's testimony?" von Karma demanded.

Nick reached into the court record and removed the photos Eddie had taken of the murder. "Take that!" he cried. "Notice in both these photos, Robin clearly has both hands on the staff. Hardly a small discrepancy!"

Murmurs shot through the courtroom, and Wright smiled broadly and placed his hands on his hips. "It seems that Dr. Thompkins isn't the only witness with an imperfect memory."

A whip cracked against Nick's desk and he moved his hand off of it and up in a defensive position as a precaution.

"Do not count the chickens before the eggs are done hatching," Mr. Phoenix Wright. "My client simply misremembered the events. Robin is still clearly seen stabbing the defendant in the chest with his staff in these photos. But I suppose I don't need to remind you of that."

Wright grimaced, glancing down at the photos. It seemed so obvious; Robin wasn't stabbing him, he was pulling the staff out; crime in and of itself, but not murder. But why did the time-stamps on the photos read as though he stabbed it in?

Wright would save the quandary for another time.

"I understand," he said. "However, the inconsistency in the testimony, as well as the irrationality of the flash being on the second photo but not the first, makes me want to inquire into this matter more."

"Be warned, Mr. Wright," said the Judge. "You are treading thin ice."

"Thin ice indeed," echoed Franziska, "when the best evidence you have revolves messing with the mind of a ten year old child."

Wright paused for a moment, ignoring the prosecutor. "Eddie, why did you take the photos if you were in bed as the murder was happening? What made you think to even bother getting your camera?"

"My brother said—" Eddie began, and then stopped himself short. "I mean… I was told… That if I saw… anything weird, I should take some pictures of it.."

"You said your brother," Wright's eyes narrowed. "You specifically mentioned him. Why? Did your brother know the murder was going to take place?"

"What!? Of course not, how could Ted know about a murder that he didn't commit!?"

"I didn't say he'd committed the murder," Wright said. "What makes you think I'm accusing him of being the killer?"

Eddie began to sweat, twitching… "I'm not sure, I just thought, if he knew about it, you'd say that he was the one down there killing Frank Newitt that night."

"I only ask," Nick said, "Because I honestly do have reason to believe Ted is involved. You misspoke two days ago, saying that you had committed the murder. But it wasn't you—you were taking the photos—because your brother told you it was going to happen!"

"OBJECTION!" Shouted Franziska von Karma. "What possible evidence could link Theodore Bloominflaur to the crime!? There is nothing!"

"Mr. Wright, if you have any basis for these accusations, present it now!" demanded the Judge. "Otherwise you will be held in contempt of court!"

Wright removed his evidence from the Court Record and showed it to the court. "Your Honor, yesterday there were two attempts made on my life; someone shot at me at the scene of the crime, and, hours earlier, the brakes on my car were cut—"

"You mean Mystic Maya's car," Pearl said.

Nick laughed inside at her sincerity but didn't say anything to her. That was an unimportant detail.

"I had heard of the attempts on your life, and they are both being investigated," the Judge said. "What evidence have you that—"

"This photo is an X-Ray taken by Cyborg yesterday shortly before the brakes on my car were discovered to have been sabotaged. Ted Bloominflaur had a pair of wire-cutters in his pocket that afternoon, and plenty of time during the trial to slip out and cut the hydraulic lines on our brakes."

Franziska slammed her hands down on the desk. "That's preposterous. You have no proof—"

"Proof?" Wright shot back. "Proof!? I don't suppose I have proof, but the man was seen leaving with wire cutters, and my brakes had their wires cut. The circumstantial evidence alone is damaging."

Von Karma clutched her whip more tightly in her right hand and practically growled at Nick. "Foolish… fool."

"We've clearly established," Wright said, "that Ted Bloominflaur told his brother to expect something and to photograph it the night of the murder, and that he had the means and opportunity to sabotage my car."

"Mystic Maya's car!"

"Maya Fey's car." Wright corrected himself, "which I was riding in. Now, Your Honor, I would like to call another witness to the stand."

"Yes?" The Judge asked absently, tapping his fingers against the desk in a very unprofessional manner.

"Beast Boy," Nick said. "Cyborg has assured me that he is able to testify despite his injury."

"His injury?" The Judge asked, his eyes widening in confusion.

Nick nodded, sitting down and taking a drink of water. "Last night, Beast Boy and I were searching for more clues at the crime scene. I mentioned a second attempt on my life? Beast Boy took the bullet for me and was shot in the shoulder saving my life."

"Incredible!" the Judge exclaimed. "Clearly this young man is to be commended!"

A few moments later, Beast Boy was at the witness' stand, his shoulder heavily bandaged and his arm immobilized by a tight sling. Raven had supposedly used some sort of magic to heal his wound a bit, but the young changeling was obviously still in pain. After a few further exchanges, Wright was ready to begin questioning.

"The court is already aware of what transpired last night, and I didn't see the shooter. You did, correct?"

Beast Boy nodded, in a far less jovial mood than normal. "I saw him before he took the shot, which is why I jumped in front of you. I saw him run away after he pulled the trigger, too."

"Describe him," Wright said. "What was he wearing, his hair, his race, etc."

"He was white, had spiky hair, and wore a domino mask."

"In that case," von Karma said, "I'd say the case closed. You just described the defendant—your own team leader shot you."

"It wasn't Robin!" Beast Boy snapped. "Robin would never point a gun at anyone, let alone a Titan. The guy who shot me wasn't wearing a cape, either. Besides, Robin was in jail all night last night."

"Actually that can't be verified," von Karma said. "You see, power went off at the detention center around the same time as the attempted murder. The security cameras went off with it. Robin could have been anywhere at the time of the shooting."

"Convenient," Wright said. "That power would go off at exactly the right time to incriminate my client. Who, I remind you, was in this very room while the brakes on Maya Fey's car were being cut."

Wright looked around the room, gauging the faces of the onlookers, the Judge, and von Karma, and began to grow worried. They didn't seem to be convinced, and, in fact, many of them were growing skeptical by the looks of things. Beast Boy's statement that the shooter had a domino mask and spiky hair… it had been a miscalculation, Wright realized. He went over his notes one last time, and stood up.

Before he could speak, however, Franziska cut in."I believe we have seen all there is to see here. The facts of the case clearly point to Robin being the culprit, to the point that his identity is irrelevant. The only things that contradict the case as the prosecution states it are the faulty memories of a twelve year old child. A von Karma is, after all, perfect. Your Honor?"

The Judge sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, nodding. "You put up a convincing argument, Miss von Karma," he said. "And I am inclined to agree with you that this case is solved. However, I will grant Mr. Wright one last opportunity. Mr. Wright?"

Nick nodded. There was no way around it this time. He had to prove who killed Frank Newitt to prove that Robin didn't.

"Your Honor, the defense would like to indict Ted Bloominflaur for the charges against my client based on the evidence of the wire cutter in his pocket and the admission by Eddie that Ted told him that something would happen the night of the murder."

More chatter spread through the courtroom, as the bailiff escorted the young man down to the witness' chair. Theodore gave Nick a glare that might have chilled a demon as he took the seat. He removed his expensive-looking jacket and draped it over the back of his chair. The absence of the jacket revealed a sleeveless white vest underneath. On anyone else it might have looked effeminate, but Ted's muscles only stood out more with the jacket removed. A peculiar birthmark zigzagged down his right bicep.

"Please state your name, age, and occupation," said the Judge.

"The name is Theodore Bloominflaur, twenty-two years old," he replied tersely. "And I am a night clerk at a hotel in Jump City." Before any more words could be had by anyone, Ted turned to Nick. "This effrontery to the Bloominflaur name will not be quickly forgotten. When you've lost this case, I swear to you that you will never work any case again. Ever."

"We'll see about that," Wright said. "Now, with the Judge's permission, I'll start my cross examination. I suppose my first and most obvious question is_, what were you doing the night of the murder?"_

"I was working out, if you must know," said Ted. "Our pittance of an apartment is lacking in space, so I cannot store any exercise equipment there. I went for a late-night workout session before heading off to my job."

"And where exactly do you work?" Wright asked.

Ted sighed and rubbed his temple. "I work what you common folk might call the graveyard shift at a rather posh hotel, the Thaddeus Jump Inn. It's on the north side of Jump City, and many miles away from my house."

"You're saying it would have been impossible for you to return after your workout and still make it to your place of business on time?" Nick asked. He thought he knew where he was going, but he needed to make certain he had the witness' story straight before he could tear it apart.

"Most impossible," Ted confirmed. "My shift begins at ten thirty; I scarcely had time to shower after lifting weights."

"I'm sorry to be skeptical," Nick said. "However I also must ask if you have proof of this alibi. Somehow I doubt it."

"Objection, Your Honor!" cried von Karma. "The prosecution would like to call your attention to this evidence." Franziska removed a small piece of paper from the court record. "This receipt confirms the witness' alibi; he purchased a mocha-pineapple flavored energy drink on the night of the murder at 10:04 PM. Which would have been barely minutes AFTER the murder."

"Objection!" Nick called back. "How can you prove it's even Ted's receipt? Anybody could have bought that drink!" Wright had no idea where that objection had come from, but he felt it bore mentioning.

"You are incorrect, Mr. Phoenix Wright," Franziska said. "This receipt was signed by the defendant himself, as he charged the drink to his account tab at the health club."

Wright muttered a curse under his breath and stepped back. He began stroking his chin, because in his gut he knew something was wrong with this picture. The pieces were beginning to fall into place, yes. Ted Bloominflaur had just made a critical error. The problem was, Wright wasn't ready to spring the trap yet.

"Is there anything wrong with the evidence?" asked von Karma. "Do you wish for us to test handwriting to verify that it is, indeed, Ted's signature?"

"No." Nick scratched his head and forced a chuckle. He was trying to act as though his case had fallen apart. "That's not necessary," Nick finally said. "The defense has no objections to this evidence." _Well, except the one I'm going to spring later._

"If you're through making a buffoon of yourself," Ted interjected, "Then may we please continue? I'm growing rather irritable."

"Why is that?" Wright asked, venturing a guess primarily based on the way Ted was dressed.

"I just returned from my work out today," he said. "And I generally get quite tired and irritable after it. Hence the need for energy drinks."

"Yes, I get that, but it's the middle of the day. Why did you not go at night like you normally do?" Nick crossed his fingers and hoped it wasn't a wild goose chase.

It was. "The club closes early on Fridays," said Ted as though that were the most obvious thing in the world.

Wright blinked and stared at the witness, nonplussed. _Well that didn't help me at all._

Nick decided that he'd dive on into the actual evidence. "Can you please explain to me why you had wire cutters in your pocket yesterday, shortly before my brakes were sabotaged?"

"I should sue you for slander," Ted snapped. "Prove to me that Cyborg didn't fake that photo to intimidate me."

"I think the burden of proof is on you, this time," said the Judge.

"None the less," said Wright, "I can prove at least that Cyborg had no motive. The scan he took of you was taken almost two hours before the wreck, and not modified at all. The digital file submitted for the court's approval should verify my claim. Cyborg would have had no reason to fake evidence before he knew the brakes would be cut!"

Ted Bloominflaur reeled, gritting his teeth at Wright, tugging at his shirt for a moment before trying to regain his composure. "You... little whelp."

Nick slammed his right hand against his desk. "Mr. Bloominflaur, why did you have a wire cutter in your pocket yesterday!?"

Ted tugged on his shirt again. "I don't know..." he said... "I don't remember having a wire cutter... I simply.. found it in my pocket when I got home last night.. I perhaps was framed. Yes, framed by the real killer—Robin, of course."

"Very smooth, if inelegant," said Franziska. "The prosecution contends that the defendant, although unintelligent, is not lying. First and foremost, the defendant has no motive to murder Frank Newitt. He is but a simple night clerk." Franziska took an elaborate bow, and smiled at the Judge. "There is nothing in the defense's claims. Nothing at all."

Ted sneered at the use of the word simple, but nodded in agreement.

"Miss von Karma," Wright said, smirking. "I know you're better than this. Did you not notice this evidence submitted yesterday?" Nick held up a small piece of paper, the words of a dead man scribbled across it. Nick read it aloud.

**Nightwing; If you're reading this and I'm dead... Blackjack. 10-20-04.**

Von Karma arched an eyebrow. "What does this mean? What is this?"

"This sheet of paper was found in the apartment of the defendant," Wright said. "The day after the murder. If nothing else it establishes that the defendant was not only suspecting he'd be murdered, but _had an idea of who the murderer would be._"

Von Karma gasped, as if suddenly realizing something important.

Wright smirked at her. "Nightwing is a vigilante from the city of Bludhaven, New Jersey—but more importantly, he's the **first** Robin."

The Judge goggled. "Good heavens, there's more than one!"

"Of course, there are," von Karma spat. "You didn't think the same child remained a teenager for the past twenty years, did you Your Honor? Nightwing is most likely Dick—"

"Who Nightwing may or may not be is irrelevant," Wright interrupted. "The point of this is that this hand-writing-verified sample from Frank Newitt identified a former ally of Batman as not someone to be feared, but someone to be trusted. And the party that commissioned his murder as person or entity known as Blackjack. Or perhaps simply a black **Jack—**_** of the Royal Flush **__Gang._"

Wright pulled out all the data the Titans had collected on past incarnations of the Royal Flush Gang, and included both Yin's drawings and Starfire, Raven, and Maya's description of the mysterious assailant named Ten that had been in Frank Newitt's office. The court began murmuring loudly at the accusations, clearly some of them finally being persuaded.

"We've established several things," Nick said. "That at least one probable member of the Royal Flush Gang is in Jump City, that the group usually operates in five members, and that regarding Robin's identity, Frank Newitt—_didn't 'know it' at all_. The evidence on his computer would have easily been forged, especially if this murder has been in the planning for more than four years. The data on the Titan's computer showing that Robin was following Frank Newitt has been proven a forgery because Robin wasn't on Earth. And instead of looking into the _known supervillain _found in the office of the victim, this prosecution has focused on scapegoating one of the town's greatest heroes."

"Are you accusing me of being this Black-Jack?" Ted Bloominflaur demanded. "Are you saying that I'm the supervillain that stole Robin's bo-staff and framed him for a murder he _obviously _committed?"

"Pretty much," Wright smiled.

"This is an outrage!" Ted began shaking, his teeth beginning to chatter. "The Bloominflaurs—"

"Have _nothing_ to be so haughty about,_" _Wright interrupted. "You moved here from Opal City five years ago, modified a few apartments into a single penthouse and all took menial jobs! You're a night clerk for crying out loud."

By this point Ted Bloominflaur was seething, his face practically read. "You stand there and accuse me when I have an iron-clad alibi. You insult me, and through them my sister and parents. You insult my very family! I should have you run out of town for this!"

Wright was unnerved by Ted's anger, but still managed to crack a quip mentally. _I don't even live in Jump City—if you run me out of town I'd just go home!_

The gavel came down, and the Judge cleared his throat loudly. "Enough of this nonsense, Mr. Wright. As the defendant points out, he has an iron-clad alibi with the receipt. Mr. Wright, you will be _severely_ penalized if you do not point out a legitimate problem with this alibi. Is there anything wrong with this receipt?"

_Great job, Nick, now the Judge is against you once again. Nonetheless, there's a huge problem here that needs addressing. _"In fact your, honor, there is a problem."

"What?!" von Karma blinked. "The receipt is confirmed to be his handwriting."

"The problem isn't the receipt itself," Nick said. "The problem is the very fact that it's evidence in this case."

For the first time, the visible recognition that she'd made a mistake was evident in Franziska's face. Her pupils seemed to shrink even as her big anime eyes widened—and Wright asked his question. "Miss von Karma, when and why were you given that receipt."

She gritted her teeth and answered through obvious anger. "Ted Bloominflaur gave it to me yesterday afternoon in case he needed an alibi."

"And I only decided that he should be called to testify late last night," Wright said. "This wasn't made public until this morning. Ted had no reason to believe he'd fall under suspicion—unless he thought that he'd be called to the stand!"

"That's not fair!" Ted spat. He stammered for a moment, tugging at his shirt until he glared at Nick once again."A murder happened near my house—of course I'd want an alibi!"

"Your Honor, ignoring the fact that I met Mr. Theodore Bloominflaur after the first day of trial in which he seemed entirely unconcerned about the murder, the nature of the evidence is implausible! The receipt is for almost the exact time of the murder as depicted on the photographs submitted by his younger brother—photographs that Ted instructed Eddie to take, if you'll remember. Why would Ted even keep the receipt? It seems unlikely that he'd suddenly produce it three days after the fact unless he knew it would provide a convenient alibi, especially if he went to work immediately after leaving the fitness club. Everything—everything in this case implicating Robin reeks of a convenience all-too-precise and meticulous be real, Your Honor. The evidence against him is entirely manufactured."

"You insufferable cur!" Ted spat. **"I AM EDWARD BLOOMINFLAUR! YOU DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF MURDER WITH IMPUNITY!"**

Gasps echoed throughout the courtroom, and Wright saw young Eddie turn pale as a ghost, his parents Harold and Elizabeth both burying their faces in their hands. _Wait, what? He is __**Edward?**__ If he's Edward then who is Theodore?_

Von Karma stared blankly at Ted for a moment, then regarded him with an expression that Nick could only describe as revulsion. "You got your own name wrong," she spat "You are a disgrace to your family and should consider calming down before my whip finds its way to your stand!" She cracked it in her hands to add emphasis.

Franziska turned and glanced at Nick, hiding a tide of black fury behind her arrogant smile. "And you, Mr. Phoenix Wright, continue to ignore the one thing that your case hinges on ignoring." She brought out the photos of Robin stabbing into Frank Newitt's chest, and once again, Nick's stomach sank to his feet... the Judge was tired of the case, and the photos before him seemed to make the ruling entirely obvious.

"All the logic and circular reasoning in the world cannot remove the fact that Robin was photographed stabbing the defendant himself," said von Karma. "These photos were taken directly from the camera, and happened in this order by the time stamps that would be impossible to change in the measly seconds between what they depicted. In other words, everything you've attempted was all for _nothing._"

Nick practically fell back into his chair, sweat rolling down his face as his mind race to find some logical way to dismiss the photos. His heart kept resting on the idea that Robin wouldn't run as soon as he saw the flash in the first photo. His mind kept reminding him the time stamps told the opposite story. _If Robin was pulling the staff out..._

"Figured it out yet, Wright?"

Nick goggled and turned to where Pearl had sat, neglected most of the trial, and found not the young girl but a beautiful woman instead. (And if Mia Fey's cleavage could be described as bursting from Maya's costume, it was outright exploding from Pearl's tiny outfit!)...

"Chief!" he gasped. "You.. know what happened?"

"Help from beyond the grave can only go so far, Wright," she said with a sadness in her voice. "This is your case to win. You'll just have to think outside the box. You know Robin is innocent. Prove it. Use what you know about the case and about the Bloominflaurs and _prove it."_

Nick leaned over the photos, practically burying his face in them as he scanned them. He looked at the Time Warp Theatre clock in the background, but it was too blurred in the background to be of any help...

And then he traced the light it cast on the defendant and the victim, drawing how light hit the roof of the restaurant where the murder occurred in his mind, tracing it with his finger.

And then, it hit him with all the subtlety of John Henry Iron's atomic hammer.

"Your Honor," Wright said standing up as the Judge began to take a sip of coffee. "The defense contests that these photos were faked..."

_I cannot believe I'm about to argue this._

"...using... **TIME TRAVEL!"**

The British Judge leaned forward, almost dropping his mug as he spat coffee all over the floor in front of his esteemed bench Half the court began laughing, the other half sitting in stunned silence, including the legally-adult Bloominflaur family members. Jasmine sat impassive, but little Eddie was even whiter than he had been before.

"MY WORD!" the Judge cried. "Are you seriously arguing that a theoretical science was actually used in this case—in a non-theoretical manner!?"

"I'm finding it hard to believe myself," Wright said.

"That's because it's a foolishly foolish idea only considered in the vague dreams of foolhardy fools!" Von Karma ranted, her face a mask of rage. "This is... this is... **FOOLISH!**"

"Your Honor, I would not make such an argument lightly," Wright said.

Robin stood up, as if he finally had something to say in his own defense. What came out was unexpected."Your Honor," Robin began, before shifting to a dead pan tone. "Time travel doesn't surprise me in the least. The Justice League Member 'Booster Gold' is reportedly from the twenty-fourth century. Supergirl, a former heroine and cousin to Superman, departed this time two years ago for the thirtieth century." He took a breath before continuing. "Batman himself has literally _seen_ the dawn of Creation. And the Titans have fought a time-traveling villain known as Warp, who took Starfire twenty years in the future. All of this is on public record... well, except for Batman seeing the dawn of time."

Von Karma's whip lashed out one last time, slamming into the arm of the Boy Wonder, wrapping around his glove until he jerked it away with a solid yank. "I warned you," he spat. "Don't. Do. That."

He uncoiled it from his arm and tossed it back towards Franziska—but overshot her.

"Oops, I botched my throw. Silly me," Robin said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

His aim was spot on, as Starfire reached out and caught the whip... then disintegrated it in a ball of green star fire. She blinked for a moment, then gave an enormous and obviously fake smile. "Oops, it seems that I have destroyed your instrument of hurting. Silly me."

"This is... absurd!" Ted cried. "You can't prove it, even if it weren't!"

Wright shook his head. "I can at least prove that the photos are fake, finally. Or rather, their order of being taken was faked. Notice the red light cast by the sign in the background. Despite it's glowing red neon nature, the Time Warp Theatre sign is a functioning clock, and the patterns cast on the victim and defendant, show that time ticks backwards between the first and second photo." Nick slammed his hands down on the desk. "In other words, ROBIN_** WAS **_PULLING THE STAFF OUT OF FRANK NEWITT'S CHEST, JUST AS HE CLAIMED FROM THE START!"

Murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom, as the Judge examined the photo. "Good heavens, you're right, Wright!"

"NO! This is impossible! My case was flawless," von Karma spat. "You must have corroborating evidence or this entire exercise is pointless. Time travel backwards through time has been stated to be impossible by great men such as Einstein and not foolish fools like yourself and this foolish boy in a robin suit!"

Robin tilted his head in annoyance, and spoke again in the same deadpan voice from before. "Yeah, and I'd think that prosecutors assaulting their witnesses with a weapon in the middle of a court would have some consequences. Live and learn, huh, Miss Belmont?"

"What did you call me?" Franziska asked, arching an eyebrow. She clearly didn't get the reference.

"Nothing," Robin said. Wright was beginning to suspect he was fed up with the proceedings.

"You spoke words, but you are right in admitting that they are nothing. Without corroborating evidence that the Bloominflaurs are time travelers, I demand the Judge strike this entire foolish tangent from the court record!"

Wright blinked, and glanced at his case file once again. _The globe...?_

_No, that won't work. That was Frank Newitt's globe. _Nick buried his chin in his hand and began thinking. _There has to be something else, some evidence proving it—or a logical inconsistency..._

"You can do this, Nick. Reason it through," said Mia.

"Of course!" Nick shouted. "The defense would ask that Eddie Bloominflaur would be brought down to the trial floor."

"Leave my little boy out of this!" snarled Elizabeth Bloominflaur from the audience. He has nothing to do with this case!"

"He was an eye witness!" Nick cried back in shock.

After a few more harsh words, Eddie Bloominflaur came down, and the entire family was now sweating bullets. Eddie just looked terrified, however, his skin at least as pale as it had been before, perhaps more so.

"W..what are you gonna do to me? You're not going to cut me and see if the cut appears on... On, Ted, are you? Please don't do this, I'll bleed all over the court and then you'll have to take your suit to the dry cleaners to get the blood out and they'll screw it up and you'll sue them for fiftysevenmillion dollars and make a bigger mockery of the legal justice system than we already have and..." Eddie sobbed, falling to his knees as the court stared at him.

"Excuse me!?" the Judge gasped."You weren't really going to inflict a wound on this child, were you Mr. Wright?"

"Of course not!" Wright answered. "I'm not nearly that sadistic. The prosecutor might ask something like that, though."

Franziska harrumphed.

"What do you want me to do?" Eddie asked with a sniffle.

Nick indicated the sweater the boy was wearing. "Take it off. Show us your right arm."

Shuddering, the boy complied, through the parents protested so loudly the bailiff had to threaten the use of force to quiet them...

The sweater came off, and Wright rolled up Eddie's right sleeve underneath... And there on his arm was a birthmark, identical to the one on Ted Bloominflaur's arm.

"Your Honor, as ridiculous as this sounds, Eddie Bloominflaur and his older 'brother' are the same person!" Wright stood back and waited for the court to react. But no reaction came, only silence...

"What... just happened here?" Franziska asked, staring at the young boy.

"I believe that I just destroyed your case," Nick said. He cocked his head to the side and glanced over at Robin, then up at Starfire, then down at the ashes of the prosecutor's whip on the floor. He grinned. "Silly me."

"But what motive would time travelers have for murdering a journeyman like Frank Newitt? He's nobody." 

"On the contrary," Wright said. "I can't begin to guess their specific motive, but I have a good hint it has something to do with this."

Wright held up the photo of the globe they'd found in Frank's office, and pointed to the Persian Gulf. "Notice on this globe, the former property of the victim," Nick began. In the middle East he pointed to small nation labeled the Republic of Kandaq. "Here."

"I've heard of Kandaq," von Karma said. "What's the problem?"

"The problem should be obvious to anyone who knows a thing about politics!" Wright said. "Kandaq is not and never has been a republic. They've never even pretended to be. Even now it's ruled by harsh dictator known as Teth-Adam, a radical nut case who worships the Egyptian pantheon." "You're saying..." the Judge realized out loud.. "That Frank Newitt was _also_ from the future!" Wright said. "And that in the future, he knew, not the Nightwing of this time, but the Nightwing of the FUTURE—the hero currently known as Robin."

Von Karma gave a bitter laugh and sat down in her chair. "Once again, Mr. Phoenix Wright. Once again you put out a foolish argument that only a fool would make. And once again it somehow defeats my perfect case."

Nick glanced over at Ted Bloominflaur whose face was seething red. "You're Edward. The Black Jack," Wright said. "That's why Eddie said that he was the murderer on the first day, and why you got your name wrong earlier. Like the Senator Ted Kennedy, your name isn't short for Theodore. It's short for Edward."

"DAAAAAAAAAMMMMNNNN." Cyborg said in the audience. "Why didn't any of us think of that?"

Raven glanced over at the mechanical Teen. "That's why he's the lawyer and we're the superheroes."

"It didn't have to be this way," Ted said from his bench."It was supposed to go smoothly. You were supposed to fall for it, and Robin would go to jail. We'd get rid if that traitor Frank Newitt—and our mortal enemy, the future Nightwing, with one swift blow."

"Good heavens, he confessed!" The Judge said.

"There are fifteen hundred ways I could have killed you today," Ted said. "A million ways I could have used my time travel device to cripple you both. But something is _interfering_ with the technology. Did you know that? The only reason you're not a dead two year old in a coffin in some forgotten cemetery is because something's wrong with our technology."

Von Karma blinked, and for a moment, Nick thought she'd pass out, but instead she just glared at him angrily.

Ted reached down and tapped a button on his belt...

And a massive red flash exploded from around him, sending the witness stand flying; when it vanished Ted Bloominflaur was no more. Instead he was Jack of the Royal Flush Gang, a red domino mask, black body suit, and the J symbol of his card emblazoned on his shoulder.

"Enough of this," came a voice from the audience. Elizabeth, Harold, and little Jasmine all leaped down from their stand and landed in the middle of the court room.

"Listen to me, this is a mockery of justice!" cried the Judge. "Supervillains—especially those from the future—are not allowed in this Court of Law except in chains!"

Flashes of light consumed Harold and Elizabeth, and when they were gone, the middle aged couple was gone. In their places were King and Queen.

Wright stared at little Jasmine, his heart growing sour when he realized what was coming. To his surprise, it wasn't exactly what he expected The girl's head literally opened up, peeling back like a banana to reveal a small floating orb, metallic and covered in propulsion units—among other computerized wonders—inside.

"Great Scott! She's a robot!" someone in the audience shouted. "This is heavy!"

The orb glowed with a white brilliance, and that light coalesced into the form of a sixteen year old girl. "Ten." Wright said. "You were the one in Newitt's office."

"He catches on quickly, mother," she said. "I shall enjoy tearing out his vocal cords."

Queen glanced down at her younger son. "It's time, child. You remember how we told you of what Robin made us suffer in the future? Transform. Show them who you really are."

Little Eddie gulped and did so. Red light consumed him, and Eddie transformed into a tiny parody of his older brother, the Jack emblem emblazoned onto his shoulder in the same manner. The only difference was a jet pack that lifted the younger version off the ground.

Blackness surrounded the Royal Flush Gang and sent them flying backwards into the wall of the courtroom, even as Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, Ragnarök, and Yin phased through the ground. Beast Boy appeared behind them in the form of a snake. "Besst thing about this speciessss," he said. "No shoulderssss for the bullet woundssss to carry over to."

The assembled heroes and villains immediately exploded into action, and Wright, Mia, and Franziska had to run towards the Judge's bench as the Titans and Royal Flush Gang began smashing everything in sight. The battle continued, smashing through the wall and out into the Foyer, then out into the city streets beyond.

"Incredible!" the Judge shouted.

"Sir, the verdict!" Nick shouted.

"Oh, yes, of course," he said. "On the charge of Murder in the First Degree, this court finds the defendant, Mr. Robin of the Teen Titans..."

**NOT GUILTY**

A cheer erupted throughout the courtroom, confetti flying everywhere as the gavel came down.

Robin darted over, flicking his wrists and instantly dropping the handcuffs to the ground.

"How did you do that!?" Maya cried, appearing next to them.

"For the record," Robin responded, "I could have escaped at fifty-seven different opportunities during my incarceration."

"Wow!"

Robin turned, running towards the battle out side. Nick followed him, and as they got to the steps of the damaged courthouse, the Titans looked p and saw their leader, letting out a cheer.

Cyborg glanced back, smashing Ten into a car and then pulling a small yellow object from a compartment on his side. He tossed it to Robin, who caught it with one hand—his utility belt—and slung it around his waist, fastening it with the buckle. He pulled a little metal canister and slung it; it deployed into his trademark bo-staff.

"I've been waiting three days to say this." Robin smirked. _**"TITANS... GO!"**_


	8. Suicide King

**Turnabout Titan  
Chapter Eight: Suicide King**

Pedestrians fled as heroes and villains began clashing in the street once again, their screams reaching Robin's ears even as he began surveying the situation. There were still a lot of variables in the fight, but he trusted his team to minimize damage. Still, if Robin had a flaw he'd cop to, he'd call himself a bit obsessive. And that included things such as preferring to be in command if possible

Thanks to the not guilty verdict he'd just received, possible it was.

Robin caught the belt that Cyborg tossed at him with his left hand—though Robin was indeed naturally right handed, years as a crime fighter had taught him a degree of ambidexterity—and flung it around his waist, snapping it at the buckle.

He withdrew his bo-staff and charged into battle.

"TITANS!" he shouted as he leapt into the air. "_**GO!**_"

* * *

The command of the Titans leader instantly lifted Beast Boy's spirits, his snake body writhing with a shiver of excitement. Robin was acquitted, which meant all they had to do now was mop up the bad guys and go home. Beast Boy had always thought the actual fight was the fun part. The paperwork, the report-filing, late night patrols; all that stuff was boring. He knew it was necessary, of course, but he'd prefer if Robin and the others handled that. 

"Thisss is where the fun beginnsss," Beast Boy hissed, lunging at his foe, the Royal Flush Gang's Queen of Spades. But a beam of energy lashed out of Queen's bejeweled scepter and sent Beast Boy flying into a nearby building in the shadow of the massive courthouse. It also managed to put a bit of a damper on his spirits. "Or not," he said. Suddenly it seemed much less fun.

Taking the RFG down would be easier said than done, especially when the changeling was effectively limited to species' with no shoulders for his bullet wound to carry over to. Well, he probably _could _fight even with the wound, with the healing Raven had done already, but he'd really rather not. It would hurt, and it would just make the wound worse.

"This would have been so much easier if you had simply believed our subterfuge and turned on your leader," the Queen said, zapping at the green snake with her staff again. He dodged out of the way and began strafing around her—a harder feat when you had to slither than it was with legs—keeping his eyes and forked tongue on her at all times. He eyed a piece of reflective metal and glass and began to move towards it…

"I don't know what sssssubterfuge issss," said Beast Boy, keeping his eyes locked with the Queen's, "but you can forget ussss ever abandoning Robin."

He slowly slithered to the side one last time, passing next to a car that had been damaged already in the fight… And the Queen looked down just in time to see the mirror that Beast Boy had been trying to obscure. More accurately, she saw what was in the reflection, and turned behind her to lash at Yin.

Beast Boy hissed in frustration; he'd been trying to distract her long enough for Yin to knock her out without her catching on. If he'd just led her backwards, they would have moved out of the shadow of the courthouse, and Yin's own shadow would have been a dead give away.

The Queen turned and zapped a crimson beam at the youngest Titan, but Yin twisted his rubber body, dodging out of the way of the strake and smashing a dual-fisted hammer strike across the villainess' face. "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!" he quipped.

The Queen flicked her scepter around and stabbed at Yin with the sharp point on the end, her regal cap fluttering a bit. Yin's phobia of knives caused him to recoil, but Beast Boy had more than enough time to pick up his slack, and lunged forward, morphing from snake to tiger shark in the blink of an eye and slamming into the Queen with the extra momentum.

She staggered back, before Beat Boy could take advantage of his ability to defy the laws of physics—and before he could sink his shark's teeth into her. He immediately resumed the form of a snake—but this time, instead of a six-foot boa constrictor, he became an utterly massive forty-foot anaconda. He wasn't going to risk wrapping around a time-traveler though—Starfire's encounter with Warp had made all the Titans wary of their kind.

Instead he used the muscles that would normally constrict to smash her into full-force, sending the Queen sprawling onto the pavement.

But it wasn't quite as critical of a hit as Beast Boy had hoped for. Queen reached to her belt and pulled out a small metal sphere with the Spades logo on it. "You insolent wretch, the Bloominflaurs are not to be trifled with!"

She dropped the bomb and immediately took off, a massive playing card somehow materializing below her feet and carrying her off. Beast Boy saw the bomb and threw himself as far as he could away from it, Yin diving towards the nearest reinforced wall and curling into as tight of a ball as he could.

Even then, the brilliant white flash of the grenade was the last thing Beast Boy saw.

* * *

Cyborg winced when he saw the grenade explode and Beast Boy go flying. He landed hard as a snake and immediately transformed back into his human form, which at least let Cyborg know he was alive. 

Anger surged in his circuits and Cyborg took some pot shots at Queen with his sonic cannon, even as he turned and deflected an attack from the elder Jack—Edward Bloominflaurs from ten years in the future. Jack came at him with a saber with a glowing red boarder, and Cyborg leapt backwards and fired a rocket from his shoe.

"Cause _he's Cyborg_!" the million-dollar teen shouted.

Jack recoiled in alarm and smashed a button on his left wrist, even as the missile hit him and exploded, a ball of fire consuming the teen. Cyborg sensed the energy shield Jack had erected dissipate and fired into the smoke cloud…

Before he was suddenly smashed in the back with a powerful cybernetically enhanced kick. Cyborg staggered through the dissipating smoke cloud and turned to see Jack coming at him hard, his brow furrowed and his teeth bared.

"Short range teleporter," Cyborg realized aloud, explaining how Jack had appeared behind him. "Impressive. Bet it cost you a pretty penny."

"Money is not an object to a Bloominflaur," Jack hissed, slicing into Cyborg's midsection with his saber. An electronic signal approximating pain jolted Cyborg's brain and the Titan reacted by swinging his left arm wildly…

And hitting only air. Jack had teleported again, vanishing in a dim burst of white light. Cyborg whirled around behind him, anticipating an attack only to swing again and again hitting only air. This time Jack attacked from his right side, smashing his foot into Cyborg's head where the biological and mechanical met.

Cyborg muttered a curse and fired off several shots that Jack barely managed to dodge, even as Queen appeared behind him, still hovering on her flying poker card.

"Edward, follow me," she said to him in a commanding tone. "We are regrouping with your father and sister."

"But I have him on the ropes, Mother," Jack snapped.

"The Titans are more resourceful than you think," The Queen responded. "But your father has a plan."

"So did _John Kerry_," Jack snapped. "A lot of good it did _him_." Nevertheless, he complied, tapping a button on his belt and deploying a card similar to the one that Queen was flying on, but patterned after a Jack instead of a Queen.

"Yeah, you better run!" Cyborg shouted, shaking his arm cannon angrily as the two began to fly off. Queen ignored him but Jack shot him back a murderous glare. Cyborg converted his right arm back to normal and tapped a button on his left arm; the appendage immediately transformed, not into his standard sonic cannon, but something with a bit more _umph._

Specifically, a rocket launcher. Cyborg sent the projectile off towards the two, and it passed directly in-between them before exploding in a ball of concussive and incendiary force; nearby windows shattered in the blast.

"ACK!" shouted Edward.

Cyborg took a breath and blew on the end of his missile arm. "Boo-yah."

Suddenly, the nearby shadows coalesced on a single point, and Raven emerged from them, looking tired but otherwise uninjured. "Robin, Starfire, and Ragnarok are taking care of King and the younger Jack near the arcade. Are Beast Boy and Yin okay?"

"My scans say they're just unconscious," Cyborg said. "Should we go after Queen and Jack, though? What if they get their time travel junk to work and go do something crazy like put asbestos in our teddy bears or something?"

"Ignoring the fact that there are far more efficient methods of infanticide," said Raven, "That's not possible. I began to suspect that time travel was involved late last night, trying to figure out how they disabled our security cameras. So, just in case, I used a spell I learned recently to pollute the time stream with incidental mystic energy."

"Which would accomplish what?" Cyborg asked, scratching his head. Even his massive vocabulary and extensive knowledge of physics sometimes had trouble comprehending what Raven was saying when she started throwing magic into the equation.

"It's like throwing mud in a pond," Raven elaborated, raising a hand and producing some vaguely transparent dark energy that gradually became murky. "The interference will prevent them from scanning the time stream accurately—"

Cyborg's eyes lit up—his left one quite literally—when he realized where she was going. "If they can't navigate the time stream properly they could end up anywhere and any _when_."

"Exactly. And as careful as they've been so far, I don't think they're going anywhere until that problem is resolved."

"Which will be?" Cyborg asked…

"When I lose consciousness," Raven answered. "Unfortunately."

"_When_? You mean _if_, right?"

Raven winced. "I got plenty of sleep last night. But I'm exhausted because of this spell. I have to maintain at least a modicum of focus or the energy will stop doing what I want it to and gradually dissipate."

"Perfect," Cyborg muttered. "Can you still heal BB?" He glanced over at the changeling, still unconscious a few yards away. For the first time, he noticed the crater in the ground from where the grenade had gone off. He hadn't seen it before because of all the smoke.

She nodded. "I can try, at least. You can probably wake Yin up yourself—I sense his mind beginning to stir."

With that, the two Titans set off to accomplish their tasks.

* * *

Harold Bloominflaur—now transformed into the regal, armor-clad Spades King of the Royal Flush Gang—brought his massive sword down towards Starfire as the villain and heroine clashed above the streets of Jump City. The nimble Tamaranean dodged the strike and fired back at him with a pair of brilliant green eyebeams. The rays of the sun beating down on Starfire's skin gave her assurance that she'd have plenty of energy for this fight, but the King's demeanor made her wonder if she should mislay some of her boundless confidence. 

King smiled wickedly and spread his arms out, and the beams struck him in the chest and sent him and his Card sailing backwards. But King suffered no damage, as an energy shield absorbed the brunt of the attack. "A valiant effort, alien," King said, "But even your considerable powers are no match for technology from the future."

"I believe you underestimate my people," Starfire answered. "Our technology is advanced far beyond that of Earth, and has been for over a thousand of your years. Perhaps because we do not waste our time hating each other in the manner humans such as yourself are prone to do."

The King slashed at Starfire again with his sword, and Starfire flew backwards, hurling a flurry of starbolts at her attacker. King held his sword up and pressed a button on the hand guard with his thumb.

To Starfire's horror, all the starbolts curved in mid air, flowing into the sword like light into a black hole.

"Be that as it may," said the King, "you posses little or none of this advanced technology your species supposedly achieved. You are nothing but your own faculties, girl. But don't fret; you may rest assured our weapons were designed to insure a quick death for our foes."

A bitter laugh behind the King and to his right drew Starfire's attention, and she glanced that way to see Ragnarök, standing atop a chunk of pavement which was itself situated on a massive column of rock and dirt. "Funny you should mention Tamaranean technology," Rag said, raising his hand and summoning a chunk of limestone from the side of his pedestal. "I happen to be wearing some!"

Ragnarök used his geokinesis powers and slammed the stone and a flurry of others torn from his pedestal into King's face, filling his mouth with the dirt.

"You insolent--!" King shouted, coughing up dirt and spitting out mud. Then he lifted up his sword and smashed the pedestal to pieces, but Ragnarök had already leapt to a second one, and fired again…

Unfortunately, this time the shield came up, blocking the attack. All the dirt slammed into it, scattering around the King. He smiled wickedly again, and Starfire thought back to how Harold Bloominflaur had acted before. Starfire had always found him a bit… arrogant, acting in a way that would have made her father King Myand'r blush.

Still, the cruelty in his eyes—it was as if he transformed into a different person upon donning the clothes of villainy.

"It adapts," Rag thought out loud. "His shield figured out how to stop your solar attacks, and now it's blocking earth attacks too."

"Perhaps a more thorough scan of his technology would be useful?" Starfire suggested as she hovered next to her comrade. She was trying to think like Robin would, and it was usually Robin reminding Ragnarök of the scan visor on his Tamaranean technology. (Now that she thought of it, Yin had once commented that Ragnarök's visor would have made the fictional hunter of bounties, Samus Aran, green with the envy.)

"No, my dear, that's not happening." King blasted forward, shoulder-ramming Rag before he could assess tactics. Rag was sent careening off his column of rock and onto the roof of a nearby store twenty feet below. Then King turned, slashing his sword once again at Starfire. Starfire brought her arms up and blocked with her bracelets..

Immediately she regretted it; pain shot up the bones in her arms, immobilizing her as she reeled from the attack. The King tried to bring the sword down again and finish her off, but the column of rock and dirt broke off and slammed into King's side; the shield held, but the King went flying off into the distance. Ragnarök jumped on top of the half-column that remained and shouted some of the obscenities from his home universe as he propelled the other half forward, smashing the King again every time the card-themed monarch tried to climb off the rock and fly under his own power.

But it didn't take long before Ragnarök was again frustrated; little Jack, the modern incarnation of Edward Bloominflaur, leapt up from wherever he'd been hiding and dive-tackled Rag.

"Friend Collin!" Starfire shouted heading down to tear the nasty young one off of the other Titan….

Suddenly a beam of energy slammed into Starfire's back. She landed hard and rolled over to see Queen and Older Jack arcing towards her on their own cards. Queen stopped, and pulled her young son from atop Ragnarök. "Come along dear, your father wants to strategize."

"But this guy hurt Daddy!" Younger Jack protested.

"And we shall pay them back in full," Queen said. The Elder Jack just looked down at his younger self in contempt and harrumphed. Starfire was eager to kick the butt, if for nothing else than to administer pain to the selfish older version of Edward.

"You shall do no such thing," Starfire shouted, firing at the Queen. Elizabeth looked as though she had been affronted, and blasted Starfire's starbolt with her scepter. Star's attack exploded, and the flash of light blinded Star long enough for the three Royal Flush members to escape.

Star turned to Ragnarök. "Are you alright?"

He let her help him up. "Yeah, yeah. Stupid kid. You know how embarrassing it is to get beat up by a kid."

A familiar voice sliced into the conversation, as green tights, red tunic, and a black-and-gold cape fell into Starfire's peripheral vision.

"You wouldn't have gotten beat up if you'd train with me like Yin does," Robin growled.

"ROBIN!" Starfire screamed. She did not care what his advice to Collin was—she was too overwhelmed with happiness and immediately wrapped him in a hug. Tried as she might to use the discretion, she still felt multiple joints pop as she drew Robin into the embrace.

At least no bones broke this time.

"AIR, KORI! AIR!" Robin grunted. Starfire felt herself blush as she broke the embrace.

* * *

"I am sorry…" 

"It's okay," Robin said, rubbing his right arm where Star's had wrapped around him."I'm glad to be out of those cuffs myself." That was an understatement. He was exhausted, angry, and needed to take a shower, but rest and relaxation would have to wait.

"I'm afraid this isn't over yet," he said.

Star nodded. "Indeed."

"I don't like the looks of this," said Ragnarok. Starfire and Robin glanced over to him to see Rag standing at the edge of the rooftop, scanning the distance with his visor. "They're building up chronal energy, according to this readout."

"I thought they said their time travel equipment was broken." Robin pulled out a monocular and looked off in the distance where Rag was looking, but only saw the five of them. "Surely they're not going to try and travel through time with a broken time machine."

"It's not their equipment that's broken," came the harsh voice of Raven next to him. Robin looked over to saw the rest of the Titans phase from a shadow and that shadow coalesce into Raven. "Last night I cast a spell to strand them in this era, but their equipment is fully functional."

"What does that mean?" asked Beast Boy, his wounded arm now back in a sling.

"It means they're trying something more drastic," Raven said. "Unless I don't understand the mechanics of time travel as well as I think I do."

"Well, have you ever actually traveled through time?" Cyborg asked with a shrug.

She glanced at him. "No, but I _did_ pull you through a vortex from five thousand years in the past once. I have a _little _experience."

Vic grinned, his facing turning red as he scratched his head. "Oh, right, that."

"I don't care what they're up to—we have to stop them," Robin said. "Titans—_TOGETHER_!"

* * *

Atop the roof of a department store several hundred yards distant, a brilliant ball of sparking began coalescing in King's hand. Queen began to look worried, and it was a worry that Jasmine Bloominflaur rightfully shared. 

Ten had never seen her parents so reckless. They were getting as bad as her brother, and that was territory they didn't need to be treading. Yet Ten's father seemed… so sure of himself, as if he knew this would work. Certainly, there was no record of this battle in their archives.

And surely, that meant the Bloominflaurs would have an advantage. For there would have to be a record now, now that they'd made themselves known. And, with history changing, the only possible outcome to people from the future fighting people from the past would be the future prevailing.

Yes. This was logical. This was how things would turn out. Her father knew what he was doing. Didn't he?

Ten hovered closer, her hard-light body crackling as she neared the swirling temporal vortex in her father's hand.

"What is the purpose of this?" the Queen asked. "The technology was not meant to be used in this way."

The King grinned broadly. "Pure chronal energy can be chaotic, and with our navigation impaired, returning to our own era or traveling to any other is impossible."

"So why are you wasting time with the device?" demanded Edward. He smiled sadistically. "I say we simply collaborate and kill the Titans one by one and be done with the whole affair. They've already prevented us from locking Robin away; we've nothing left but revenge."

"Don't be so shortsighted." The King stepped forward. "We have a great weapon here. I believe that, lacking the ability to travel through time, we can at least send cosmic ripples through history with nothing more than physical force."

"In other words," Ten thought aloud, "you want to _punch history_."

"Indeed," said King.

"That's the most _ridiculous_ thing I've ever heard, Father."

"It will never work," nagged the Queen. "You'll end up making us all Neanderthals or some awful mutant aborigine freaks."

"Watch and learn, my family," King said. "Watch and learn."

Footsteps on the rooftop nearby cued the Royal Flush Gang, and they all turned to see the Teen Titans, weapons and powers ready. It was a battle formation.

"Royal Flush Gang," commanded King, "CHARGE!"

Ten blasted forward, her super-computer mind processing the command far faster than anyone else in her family. She lanced directly towards the only one who could think as fast as she did—Cyborg, and shoulder rammed him. "This is for using me as a tool to take out your frustrations on a Nissan Extera," she cried, referring to the car he'd smashed her into earlier.

Cyborg staggered back, but regained his footing quickly and smashed Ten across the face. She sailed to the side—having little real mass, and landed hard on the roof. A sensation that human language cannot begin to approximate rushed through her as the hologram reoriented itself into a standing position.

"That's a nifty device," Cyborg said. "I'll look forward to dissecting it after deactivating you."

He jammed his right arm forward, a burst of blue sonic energy erupting from his cannon. Ten dodged out of the way and blasted at him with lasers from every point on her body, the streaks of light melting tiny divots into Cyborg's metal plating as they made contact. He dove out of the way and fired again; Ten dodged again, but this time he compensated and the beam slammed into her.

The hologram dissipated and the tiny orb that contained Ten fired all its thrusters to come to a dead halt before the orb returned to just a few feet above the roof. By this time the rest of the Titans had engaged Queen and the Jacks, while Robin alone contended with her father.

"Victor Stone," came a voice that Ten barely recognized as her own. The tinny speaker in the orb never captured the melody of Jasmine's old voice right unless it was modulated within the hologram or within that accursed six-year-old shell. "Poor kid. Only sixteen when your mother was eaten by an extra-dimensional monster. It almost killed you, too. I heard you would have preferred that. But your dad saved you—he turned you into this _freak_. This half-metal monster."

A brilliant blue-white beam lashed out in response. "That ain't gonna work, little girl!" Cyborg spat. "I came to terms with what I am a long time ago! Ever heard of a guy called Brother Blood?"

"Oh, Brother _Blood_," you say. Ten hovered up, her hologram projectors beginning to fluctuate. "Of course. You and he have a grand history together." She felt the light emerge, twisting and turning as though she were being molded, and when it ended, Ten coalesced into the form of the Hive Academy graduate Jinx.

"I know all about you and Brother Blood," Ten said in Jinx's voice. "I know what already happened and what's _going_ to happen."

"What are you talking about?!" Cyborg demanded, firing off another sonic cannon shot. "Answer me!"

Ten cartwheeled out of the way. "I guess you'll have to beat it out of me!" she said. "But until then, this fight will be interesting!"

* * *

There's something to be said about trading troublesome antagonists so that the odds stack in one's favor—and that's exactly what the Titans did with the Royal Flush Gang. Raven, Yin, and Beast Boy went after Elder and Younger Jack, while Starfire and Ragnarök focused their efforts on the Queen. 

Raven had felt Starfire's worry for Robin, as the Boy Wonder was now going toe-to-toe with King alone, but the Royal Flush's leader was so preoccupied with his chronal energy that Raven knew Robin would be able to handle himself.

What was really making her sweat—other than keeping her time-travel prevention spell going—was exactly what the King had planned with his increasingly powerful gathering of chronal energy.

It wasn't a question Raven had to ponder long, because Little Jack was suddenly on her, a pair of glowing red knuckle guards dishing out far more force than a twelve year old child normally could. Beast Boy dive-tackled Little Jack as a hyena, snarling and laughing at the child in an attempted to frighten him.

"Garfield Logan playing Batman," Raven thought aloud. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"I know a little about playing Batman!" Elder Jack growled as he lunged forward, his own cybernetic enhancements speeding up his limbs and strengthening them. It was obvious now how he could have driven the bo-staff through Frank Newitt's chest one-handed. "Except I'm the bad-cop version!"

"Do you know who Batman is?" Yin asked, bounding off a wall in a ball form and ramming into Elder Jack's face. "I'd really like to know."

Raven heard Jack mutter an expletive combined with something about shutting up, and took the opportunity to attack while he was distracted. She lunged at him with a kick, her boot coated in dark energy.

Jack blocked the attack and turned, delivering a punch of his own. Raven stepped back, deflecting it with a dark-energy shield, then stepped forward and palmstriking him in the chest. The combined magic-martial arts attack broke Jack's deflector shield and sent him flying onto his rear.

"I wonder, witch girl," he said as he stood up, "why you've not just said your little magic words and blown me to smithereens. I could be scattered all over this city like so much confetti falling after a victorious acquittal in court…"

Raven narrowed her eyes and made a slight grunt. She couldn't use her full powers and keep the distortion spell running, but she'd been way too obvious about the limitation. She just hoped Jack wouldn't figure out why. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she whispered, sending a burst of dark telekinetic force that knocked Jack further back. This time he managed to stay standing.

"That was weak," he said. "I bet you stayed up all night pondering how to indict me. You _look_ exhausted."

Yin returned the earlier warning to shut up (though this time without the expletive) and began pounding Elder Jack's face with his elastic fists. Blow after blow came down, the sum of which was less bone-crunching than it would have been had a stronger Titan been delivering the blows.

Jack managed to get an arm under Yin and released a burst of energy into the young Titan's stomach. Raven hovered up and caught him, slowing him with dark energy first, then easing him into her grip. He had a deep red burn wound in his stomach, she saw through a hole in his shirt. His unique (at least among Jump City's heroes) physiology made the skin around the burn melted and difficult for Raven to mend properly.

"ARGH!" he shouted. "Let me at him; I'm gonna tear that stupid domino mask off his face!" Yin wriggled out of Raven's arms, his teeth bared and tears falling from his eyes.

"You will pay for that." Raven held Davis back with dark energy and flew straight towards him. "A minute ago you said you wanted to see more of my power? HERE IT IS! _Azarath Metrion Zinthos_!"

Raven pistoned her fist back, coated in dark energy, then delivered a powerful uppercut that sent Elder Jack hurtling across the city. Raven didn't bother to look and see where he landed.

"Wow, that was impressive," Yin said, standing up with a hand cradling his wounded abdomen.

"Zip your jacket up," Raven said. "If any of the Royal Flush Gang sees the wound they'll aim for it."

"Like attacking my weak point for massive damage," Yin nodded.

Raven paused, letting her exhausted brain process what little tidbit of pop culture he was referring to this time. Finally, the memory came and Raven groaned inwardly. "Davis," she sighed, "you are _such_ a nerd."

* * *

Beast Boy, satisfied that the Younger Jack was scared witless at this point, turned his attention to Raven and Yin and goggled when she saw the Elder Jack nowhere in sight; rather, Raven and Yin were together, Yin leaning on the older Titan and Raven's hand up his shirt. 

Well, no, not his shirt, Beast Boy realized, but rather his jacket, which was now zipped up. "Whoa am I missing something?" Beast Boy said as he tried to figure out what was happening. "Raven, this really isn't the time for public displays of affection."

Raven shot Beast Boy a glare that seemed to stab right through him, and Beast Boy shrank away.

"I'm healing a wound," Raven hissed. "Or at least trying to."

"Oh, right," Beast Boy said with a nervous laugh and a big sweat drop on his head. "I knew that."

"We took care of Jack," said Yin, "Let's help Starfire and Rag."

Beast Boy nodded, as Raven and Yin broke their embrace. Gar winced when Raven stood up, because even though she tried to hide it, it was obvious how exhausted she was; her shoulders were slightly slumped and her eyes were bordering on bloodshot, her eyelids half covering them.

"You okay, Rae?"

"I will be as soon as this fight is over," she answered. "Let's go."

With that, the three Titans took off towards Queen and the Teen Titans she was fighting.

* * *

The fight between Cyborg and Ten had by this time left the rooftop and ended up in the streets of one of Jump City's many commercial districts. Pedestrians fled as the Jinx-doppelganger flipped and hopped around, firing simulated Hex Blasts at her foe. "Why do you look like her?" Cyborg demanded. 

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," said the fake Jinx. "And then you'll tear your flesh off and sacrifice everything that made you human—all because of what Brother Blood did to her."

Cyborg fired off a series of sonic cannon shots that Ten dodged; the beams smashed into bystanders' cards, causing windows to shatter and doors to dent. "Why should I care about Jinx?!" Cyborg demanded. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Don't be so coy," Ten said, dodging as Cyborg tried to smash her with his fists. "You know how you feel about that witch."

Cyborg grimaced—what was she talking about? Sure, he and Jinx had flirted a bit during his time at Hive Academy.. And she _was _pretty cute… and not entirely evil like some of those kids had been.

But what could she possibly see in Cyborg? He was a half-metal freak—she was a homo magi. She was a villain, he was a hero. So why did Ten's words make him so worried?

"Whatever you think you know, it _ain't_ gonna happen!" Cyborg readied his sonic cannon…

And Ten grunted, lifting both hands and firing out a massive magenta energy beam that slammed into the ground, kicking up asphalt; then it moved forward, and Cyborg couldn't move fast enough to dodge it. The beam slammed into his chest and sent Cyborg careening backwards and through the window of a storefront. His world went white, then black as his optical sensor in the robot half of his face surged with power and went offline.

It came back on seconds later, and his biological eye blinked open with it; his optical sensors detected the familiar hum of the orb containing Ten's mind hover towards him. Then he heard the sounds of light bending around a frame of force fields. A new hologram?

He tried to sit up and found his lower torso immobile. Diagnostics immediately identified the problem and sent some micro probes to restore mobility. Meanwhile, he'd have to stall for time. He'd looked up far enough to see the silhouette forming in the door, but couldn't make out who or what it was.

Then came the voice—a kind voice, but austere and scientific. It wasn't exactly like any voice Cyborg had ever heard—but he instantly knew who it was supposed to be.

"What's wrong... _son_?" asked the hologram. The fake Elinore Stone gave a bitter laugh and took a step closer. "Did you fall and hurt yourself? Was the girl from the future too much for my little robot spawn?"

"You ain't my mother," Cyborg hissed from his supine position on the floor. "You never will be."

"You hurt me, child," said the hologram. "Your insults are evil to a poor old woman's heart."

Now Cyborg was _really_ angry—not only was she imitating his mother, she was doing it very, very badly. Cyborg unconsciously prepared his sonic cannon to fire… but with a few adjustments this time.

"Perhaps I should just put you out of your misery," the fake Elinore Stone said, raising a gun that was probably also a hologram. "End your pathetic existence as this half-machine freak your father made you. You should have _died_ when I did."

"Funny," Cyborg said, trying to stall for time. "You call me a half robot freak when you're nothing but a floating probe with hologram technology. Your parents did a lot worse than mine. Taking your mind out of your body entirely. Making your disease into something _useful_ for them."

Ten recoiled, dropping her character and shouting at him. "You take that back—they were saving my life!"

"So they could profit from it," Cyborg retorted. Just a little more and…

"LIAR!" Ten hissed, and fired…

Cyborg rolled out of the way, his legs coming back online at the last second. And then he thrust the sonic cannon forward and unleashed a burst of sound—but not his normal blue beam—a transparent white wave of sonic energy washed over the doppelganger. "THE ONLY LIES HERE ARE THE ONE'S YOU'RE SPEWING FROM THAT TWO-BIT SPEAKER!" Cyborg growled.

The sound drove Ten back, the shape of Elinore Stone vanishing; the probe took the full brunt of the attack and sailed back into a stone retaining wall, thrusters failing. The probe fell to the sidewalk with a dull thud.

"How…?" came a tinny voice from the speaker.

"What's that?" Cyborg asked, walking over to the broken hologram-probe.

"How did you destroy the force fields?"

"Not hard," Cyborg said. "I _listened. _Light moves a lot faster than force fields can refresh, so I listened to how often the light was bouncing off your force fields when you were making that hologram of my mom and just matched it with my sonic cannon. Advantage to having a robot ear."

The little probe seemed to quake as Jasmine Bloominflaur's voice emerged, as if it could physically express her fear. "P.. please… don't _kill me_."

Cyborg narrowed his biological eye. "Naw. That ain't how I operate."

With that, Cyborg walked away, leaving the probe broken and alone.

* * *

A blast of dark energy arced side-by-side with a starbolt and slammed into the shield around the Royal Flush Gang's King; Queen tried to jump in to help him out against Raven and Starfire, but Ragnarök and Yin double teamed her, Yin stretch-dodging a blast from her scepter and diving towards her face while Rag pelted her body with his geokinetic powers. 

Robin came down towards the roof of the department store, smashing at King with his bo-staff just as the shields began to return to standby, catching King across the head and staggering him. "It's over, Bloominflaur!" Robin growled.. "You've lost your little gambit in court, and you're about to lose this fight too."

"Give up and we'll take it easy on you!" said Beast Boy from behind—not in the form of a crow, thankfully.

"A Bloominflaur doesn't surrender so easily!" King protested, raising the hand that had been glowing red for this whole fight. "This entire affair has simply been stalling for time, my boy. I don't know why we can't escape this time period, but our technology is still good for one thing."

A red aura surrounded King's fist, reality itself seeming to warp in its wake. And then the King flung his hand out, a bright white flash consuming it—and shockwaves arced over the entire block, sending the Titans sprawling. Robin's last coherent thought was that Queen and King didn't seem affected by it…

It was quickly over, and Robin immediately stood, surveying his surroundings—

And found something he did not expect.

Starfire and Raven were gone—and in their places were two young women Robin had never seen before. Robin darted over to them and helped them up, the first one he reached her eyes batting open. "Hey there, handsome," she said. "You Robin?"

"Um…" Robin stammered. "I am," he said. "Who are you?"

"The name's Jubilee," she said. "I'm with the X-Men."

"The comic book characters?"

Jubilee winked. "Hee. In my world, you're the comic book character, _Grayson._ Don't worry, I know all about our history-punching ne'er-do-wells."

Robin goggled—she hadn't gotten his name right, but she had named the first Robin. Which meant she really did have insider information. Robin had heard of Jubilee from the old X-Men Cartoon, but that_ had_ been years ago, and he couldn't remember her real name, nor what she looked like until now.

Robin tried to process the fact he was talking to a fictional character, but found it difficult.

She must have mistook that frustration for worry over her identity. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Suddenly, a shadow fell over them and Jubilee shot to her feet, dodging out of the way as Queen blasted at the two of them with a beam from her scepter. Robin flipped the opposite direction and hurled a birdarang at Queen.

By this time, the other teenager, who had replaced Raven, got up. "What happened?" She glanced over and saw Robin and Jubilee fighting Queen and ran towards them.

"Leave them alone!" she shouted.

"Shadowcat, watch out!" Jubilee called.

But the girl didn't react in time, and Queen was able to blast her in the chest and sent her sprawling… "Ugh!!"

Jubilee fired a blast of fireworks into Queen's face, and ran over and grabbed Shadowcat. "Kitty! Kitty, talk to me!"

Robin was trying to do three things at once by this point—fight Queen, try and figure out if the other Titans were okay, and try and figure out what had just happened with Shadowcat and Jubilee…

Unfortunately, it was the first objective that suffered the most, and Queen was able to smack him across the face and send him sprawling onto the rooftop.

Robin looked over at the two young X-Men, just in time to see them vanish, their forms suddenly replaced with those of Starfire and Raven. "Star, Raven," Robin shouted, "are you okay?"

"I am unharmed," Starfire said, "But Raven seems to be… in great pain."

Robin glanced back up to see King and Queen approaching, but suddenly Cyborg, Beast Boy, Ragnarok, and Yin jumped them, taking the fight off the rooftop and into the streets below, giving Robin the breathing room he needed. He knelt by the two girls, expecting to see the wound Shadowcat had received in Raven's chest…

But it wasn't there. Instead Raven's pain seemed to be internal—she had a massive headache, by the looks of it.

Robin placed his green-gloved hand on her arm. "Raven, what happened? Do you remember any of the past few minutes.."

"I don't… know how… but King…" Raven stammered through her agony. "He _punched time._ And since my spell is what's keeping the from traveling, there was feedback—into my brain."

"Punching history? How is that even _possible!?_"

"He figured out a way."

"How serious is this?" asked Robin

Raven glanced at him. "I'm not sure," she said, sitting up but still shaky. "If he keeps doing it, I could fall unconscious, and if that happens, my spell will vanish. They can escape."

"Is that the worst case scenario?" Robin asked pointedly.

"No. The worst case scenario is that the feedback _kills _me."

"What are the odds of that?"

Raven blinked. "I have no idea. I've never done this before."

"This is terrible," said Starfire. "We must stop the King before he uses his fist of punching on the history again."

"Hang back, Raven," Robin ordered. The last thing he needed was the villains at large through time. "Try and take care of yourself." He turned to Starfire. "Kori, you're with me. We're going to shut King down, now, hard and fast. Ready?"

"Always," Starfire said with a confident nod.

"Then let's go!"

Starfire wrapped her arms around Robin's torso and took off, carrying him into the battle once again.

* * *

"Jack, Ten, get down here," demanded King. "Jack, Ten, please respond!" 

"They can't hear you, dude!" Beast Boy shouted, transforming into a lion and pouncing at the King. King leapt backwards and aimed for Beast Boy's still-not-one hundred-percent shoulder. Beast Boy rolled of the way and transformed into a mouse, then ran between the King's legs before turning into an elephant and sending him flying end-over-end to the asphalt.

Just then Robin swooped in and kicked King in the head as he got back up, and all the Titans used the opportunity to fire their respective attacks at him.

Queen jumped in the way, however, smashing the solid matter out of the air with her scepter and shielding herself from the brunt of the energy. Starbolts rained down, and Queen deflected them, her eyes narrowing as she saw her attacker.

"Harold, look!" she shouted. "The Tamaranean transformed back."  
"It's as I feared," King said, smacking Robin out of the way and joining the Queen. The two of them hovered away from the Titans on their flying cards, which seemed to generate from their feet at will.

"After them," Cyborg shouted.

Beast Boy and Robin ran side by side as they approached Jump City harbor…

And skidded to a halt when Jack appeared beside them on his own flying card, drenched in water. "I don't particularly appreciate being drenched," Jack said. "Especially in the dead of December."

The brilliant white form of Ten soon joined them, though from the flickering of her hologram it was clear the little probe that housed her mind had seen better days. "We are here, mother, father," she said.

"Then let the games begin," King whispered harshly, smashing his glowing fist out once again. And again a shockwave tore through reality. This time, none of the Titans were so close as to be hit directly, but when the flash subsided, the Titans gasped in shock. Where before there had been only four members of the Royal Flush Gang, there were now thirty-two robots, all identical except for a symbol on their chest bearing the insignia of a playing card—all but the twenty cards that made up the four houses of the Royal Flush Gang were represented.

"Well that's not good," said Cyborg.

"Tim, do you have a plan?" Beast Boy asked, glancing sideways at his leader… to find that it _wasn't_ his leader there; it was still Robin alright, but he was taller, with five-o-clock shadow on his face, which seemed to be frozen in a perpetual scowl. His costume was also different, with red tights and black shorts replacing the normal green pants.

"The name's not Tim, Logan," barked the older boy in the Robin costume. "Must be another time shift. Don't worry, I'm up to speed."

"You're Jason Todd," Beast Boy realized out loud.

"Well at least I existed _somewhen_ in this timeline," the young adult muttered. "Titans—ATTACK!" he cried.

The robots charged forward, and Beast Boy ignored the sudden change in his leader and went to work smashing them. Starfire and Cyborg joined in, but it quickly became apparent that these things weren't run-of-the-mill Sladebots that could be destroyed in just a hit or two.

One of them smashed Robin across cross the face and sent him tumbling, but he recovered and hurled an explosive disk into the face of one of the robots. The bright flash erupted and tore the robot's head off.

Beast Boy turned, transforming into a massive stegosaurus as he smashed a couple of the robots across the street with his tail. Both of them smashed into the sides of buildings and fell to the ground…

Then they got back up and began wobbling towards Yin and Ragnarök.

"These things are too tough," Rag whined, smashing one with a series of rocks to little effect. Yin, for his part, tried to punch the one nearest him, but his rubbery attacks did little to halt the robot's advance.

Luckily, a pair of eyebeams lanced down and sliced the robot's head off, and the body crumpled to the ground, inert. "Thanks, Starfire," Yin said, glancing up.

"It was my pleasure," she answered…And Yin found himself goggling. Starfire… wasn't herself—something had _changed _her…

"Um…" Yin stammered, staring directly at the center of her chest, now covered in only two thin violet strips of an alien material leaving ample cleavage exposed. Her hair was different too, he noticed as he wrenched his eyes away from her torso—it was enormous and curly, like a rock band wig from the 1980s. Davis found it vaguely frightening yet somehow attractive.

"Don't worry," said the new Starfire. "I won't bite." Her voice was similar.. but different, as if a different life had accompanied the same set of vocal cords. She spoke with less of her alien inflection, more like an Earthling, and in a harsher, lower tone.

Starfire turned and unleashed burst of solar energy that decimated a nearby robot…

And just as suddenly as she had appeared, reality seemed to melt away and the new Starfire was replaced with the old. Yin stared blankly at her for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.

"Yin?" She asked, alarmed. "Are you harmed, my friend?" She began shaking him. "Why are you staring at my grebnacks as if they are about to burst through my shirt and attack you?"

Yin blinked. "No comment," he said, slinking away so she wouldn't see him blush. This was getting _way_ too weird for him.

* * *

Tim Drake had no idea why Beast Boy was looking at him so funny when he climbed out from behind a pile of rubble that one of those robots had knocked him into. Beast Boy seemed to get over it fast enough and went back to smashing them. Tim himself did the same, drawing two birdarangs and joining them together to form a sword. 

"HIYAH!" he cried, slicing the arm of one of the robots off as it missed a punch. He turned and ran another through under the armpit.

"Aim for their joints!" Robin shouted so that the rest of his team could hear. "Whoever designed these things did so poorly. They're strong—but flawed."

The rest of the Titans complied, aiming for the robots' weak point.

Robin found himself near Jack and attacked him, but was able to see King in the distance, his fist glowing red once again.

King punched, and a massive shockwave washed over all the robots. One of them exploded as Cyborg hit it, and sent Ragnarök flying into the crater another had made earlier.

But the shockwave washed over all the other robots, and suddenly, their design _changed_ before the Titans' eyes, the weak points under their arms and at the knees vanishing—the entire chassis transforming from something out of a low-budget episode of _Doctor Who_ to something closer to a _Star Wars_ storm trooper.

"Not good!" Beast Boy shouted, morphing into a mouse to avoid getting clobbered by one of the robots.

"Argh!" Ragnarök shouted at Robin. "Come on, man, get to King. We've got to stop him from glomping around with reality."

Robin nodded and threw a bunch of explosive disks over his shoulder, hoping they were enough to stop the robots as he darted towards King. Unfortunately, before he could get there, a black blur slammed into his torso and sent him sprawling.

Robin hit his head hard against the sidewalk and everything flashed white, then went dark. He opened his eyes and discovered he had a massive headache, possibly a concussion. "Ugh."

"You were trying to hurt daddy!" Robin focused enough to see that the voice was Younger Jack—little Eddie Bloominflaur. "I don't care how cool you are, I'm not going to let you hurt daddy."

"You're father is a super-criminal!" Robin spat. "He's no better than Slade or Doctor Light."

"Liar!" Little Jack spat, smacking Robin across the face with his fist as the Boy Wonder tried to sit up. "In the future, you betrayed us—thanks to you we ended up fugitives. It's your fault, Robin—or should I say NIGHTWING!"

Suddenly, black energy coated Jack's costume and he hovered up off the ground. Robin got to his feet and saw Raven standing near by, looking at the child furiously through bloodshot eyes.

"The future where Robin becomes Nightwing is _cancelled,_" she hissed. And with one burst of telekinetic energy, Raven ripped the jetpack and the entire Jack costume off young Eddie and sent the kid sprawling on his butt, now clad in his civvies.

"You—!"

"She did you a favor," Robin said in a tone that immediately shut the kid up. "Listen, I have no idea what your parents told you, and for all I know it might be true. Maybe I did do something bad to them in the future. But looking at them now, when they're trying to kill me and my friends… You think maybe the deserve it?"

"The said you made one of their friends be an enemy."

"I don't care," Robin spat. "They're tearing apart the fabric of the universe over a stupid grudge ten years before the grudge even starts! I don't care if you hate me, Eddie, but I WILL shut your parents down."

"…" Eddie took a step back, suddenly terrified—and perhaps in awe—of Robin once again.

Raven turned to Robin and placed a hand on his shoulder.. "Listen to me, Tim," she said. "I can't take much more of this. Every time King punches the time stream the feedback goes directly into my brain. He can't keep doing this… I'll…"

She fell backward with a scream of agony, and Robin glanced over to see another wave of temporal energy arc out and transform Beast Boy's colors from black and purple to red and white. Though thankfully, the robots all transformed back into their original incarnations as well.

Unfortunately, all the broken ones got back up, fully repaired.

Robin sighed. "This is getting tedious."

"How do you think I feel?" Raven stood up, using the wall to steady herself. "Go, get to King. Order everyone to get to King!"

Robin nodded, and ran off to commence the order.

* * *

Yin had managed to avoid getting himself killed so far, and dove behind a car near the crater where Ragnarök had fallen. He made sure the coast was clear before leaning over and pulling Rag out of the pit.. 

And gasped when he found someone _other _than Ragnarök. "What the heck?!" Yin gasped. The teenager he found was at least a year older than Ragnarök, blond-haired and blue-eyed, with a white T-shirt that had a big black G emblazoned on the middle.

His entire right arm was covered in a metallic gauntlet that had a ruby on the back of the hand.

"Who are you?" Yin asked.

The boy blinked open, and frowned. "Don't worry, man. The name's Gauntlet, and I'm up to speed on what's happening."

"You are!?"

"It's happening in my world too."

The boy called Gauntlet got up, stretching his arms and then glancing over at Yin. "Huh, well, you're not Savior, but you'll do."

"Who is Savior?"

Gauntlet scratched his head. "Remember that guy who helped the Titans out with Trigon a few chapters before you showed up?"

Yin blinked. "No."

"Well, that's Savior," he said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Yin—the rubber Titan."

"Ho-boy, they really don't give people nicknames like they used to." Gauntlet extended his right arm, and a bunch of swirling yellow energy emanated from it, forming what seemed to be a giant semi-transparent packing machine.

"What's that for?" asked Yin.

"You."

"Oh dear."

Yin's agonized screams fell on deaf ears.

* * *

Robin darted forward, smashing robots as he moved with his bo-staff. He leapt towards one with a flying kick and slammed his foot into its chassis… And his foot seemed to sink in, the metal denting because of its flimsiness. Robin gasped, knowing he was about to suffer a grievous injury to his ankle.. 

Until the robot grabbed him by the leg. Robin looked up and goggled when he saw that the Royal Flush Gangs' machines had transformed once again, and cursed the fact he hadn't gotten to King before he punched history again and injured Raven further.**  
**

"Let go of me!" he growled at the robot.

Instead, it pulled Robin's leg out of its chest, seemingly confused.

"You are not the Doctor!" the robot cried in a shrill voice. "DELETE. DELETE!"

Robin gasped, as electric weaponry appeared inside the robot's eyes, but no matter how hard he struggled, Robin couldn't free himself from its clutches. "DELETE!" it cried again…

When a violet boot slammed into its face, sending the shrill robot sprawling. Electricity arced off into the sky, and the robot faded back to normal as reality reasserted itself.

"Thanks for the save, Starfire," Robin said.

"I was glad to help. Now, before King punches again, go after him—as for these robots, I shall kick the butt!"

Robin turned and let Starfire handled the robots who were around them, running off to take down the RFG leader.

Three more robots appeared in front of him, and Robin growled in frustration. "Oh, come on, is there someone up there churning these things out?"

* * *

Jack watched Raven tear the armor off his younger self and chuckled. He was such a weak child, so sentimental. And then he noticed something else… when his father reached out and struck history with his chronal-energy gauntlet, Raven herself recoiled in pain. As if her mind were linked to the time stream itself… 

"Which means…" Jack thought aloud…

He opened a communicator on his wrist and pressed one of its buttons. "Father! Keep punching the time stream. It's that Azarathian Witch keeping us from leaving this time period. I think she has to maintain focus or the spell will vanish."

"Understood," came the King's voice through the communicator.

Jack smiled, and turned to see if he could take down the witch himself… But soon, Beast Boy was in his way and he found himself lost in the sound and fury of battle once again.

* * *

Satisfied with how tightly Yin had been packed into a ball, Gauntlet stared at his handiwork and smiled broadly. "_Perfecto_," he said. "You okay in there little guy?" It felt odd talking to a basket-ball sized sphere and expecting a reply. Usually that only happened when Ithlian came out to play. 

"Mmpph pphmm mm mmphhm!!" the angry reply came.

"Don't worry, I'm almost done." Gauntlet took a step back, forming a brilliant golden sling with energy from his namesake armament and began whirling it around as fast as he could, until poor Yin was nothing more than a little dark blur inside a big bright blur.

Then Gauntlet took a step forward and hurled Yin with all his might, directly towards three robots that had been giving Robin a lot of trouble. Yin slammed into the middle of one of the robots, plowing directly through due to the immense velocity at which he had been propelled and continuing on through the other two, sparks and gears flying everywhere.

Gauntlet tugged on the golden-energy tether and pulled Yin back towards him, satisfied with the result.

* * *

Robin saw the bullet slam through three robots, goggling with surprise. What it was made of or who launched it, Robin didn't have a clue. But he wasn't about to look the gift horse in the mouth. He hurled himself towards King, throwing a duo of birdarangs as the King tried to blast him out of the air with an energy weapon on his left wrist. 

It was the other hand Robin was aiming for, though—the one with the history-altering energies stored in it. King reached for his massive sword, but he wasn't fast enough and Robin slammed two birdarangs already in-hand together, once again producing the blade he'd used against Malchior and Trigon's minions.

Down it came, the sword cutting clean through King's arm, the chronal energies therein sputtering to nothing. Sparks and gears fell out, and Robin realized that he had been correct in assuming the hand was fake. (Flesh and blood, he assumed, wouldn't be able to survive the rigors of punching the time stream unaided. Unless they were, you know, Kryptonian or something.)

"What have you DONE!?" cried the King, backhanding Robin across the face with his undamaged hand. Robin took the attack and stepped back, drawing his sword and preparing to fight King one-on-one.

Then a massive force wave slammed into his side and a jeweled scepter came down across his chest. Pain exploded through his body, and Robin found himself on the ground before he knew what had happened. He rolled out of the way when he heard another attack coming, and narrowly avoided the Queen's scepter from smashing into him. Robin shot to his feet, kicking at her, following up with punches and generally trying to get past her guard…

He realized much to his annoyance that he'd dropped his sword, and backed away when Queen tried to hit him with the scepter again.

She turned to King, who was still cradling the maimed extremity. "Harold, you have the Particle Cannon! Use it on Robin!"

"Great, just what I need," Robin hissed, leaping at Queen with a spinning crescent kick.

Queen blocked it with an armor-enhanced forearm and smacked Robin across the face with a backhand. He felt a tooth fall out and spit it up, then wiped a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Harold—SHOOT HIM!" the Queen demanded. "Let us wipe our hands of this sordid affair and be done with it."

Robin glared at the King, who tapped a button on his belt. His armor changed, transforming his free arm into a massive cannon that would make (stop me if you've heard this one before:) Samus Aran green with envy.

"Go ahead," growled Tim Drake. "Make my day."

* * *

To have called Yin livid would have been a grievous understatement. His fury burned with the white-hot intensity of a thousands suns and it was all directed at a young man with the heroic codename Gauntlet. Yin stretched up, out of his ball form and towered above the battle. He cringed a bit when the wound in his stomach began to stretch and sent shudders of pain up his torso, but was able to ignore it. He quickly sighted Gauntlet, fighting a couple of the remaining robots, and zeroed in on him, hurling himself at the blond teen and smashing him against a nearby wall. 

"YOU PIECE OF CRAP!" he growled, eyes closed from the sting of his angry tears. (And perhaps there were tears of pain there too, though Davis would be the last to admit it.) "I OUGHT TO TEAR YOUR STUPID SPIKY HAIR OUT OF YOUR HEAD!"

"What the GLOMP did I do?!" came the response. Needless to say, the voice wasn't that of Gauntlet. Yin blinked his eyes open to see not him, but Ragnarök, his back against the wall looking confused, frightened, and not slightly angry.

"You…" Yin said absently. "Where…?"

"Have you lost your mind, Yin?" Rag asked.

"Um. I blame it on the time shifts." Yin slinked back to a standing position. "Truce?" he extended a hand.

"Um… sure…" Rag said, reaching out to take Yin's hand.

When they were both blasted in the side by Ten, and crumpled to the ground in a heap. "That was easy," she thought aloud.**  
**

"You'll pay for that!" Cyborg shouted, leaping from the top of a nearby mail truck and kicking Ten in the face. "Didn't I break you earlier anyway?"

"I got better," Ten replied dryly. "Surely you know what a nanomachine is. The innards of my probe are crawling with them, repairing damage and correcting deficiencies."

Cyborg punched at her with one hand, but she grabbed it; he punched with the other hand and Ten grabbed that one too. "Whatever you think you know about my future, I don't care," he said. "At your core you're just a selfish little teenager in need of a good beat down, nanomachines or not."

"'I'm not a better robot than you,'" Ten mocked, in Cyborg's own voice. "'I'm a better person.' Pathetic."

Cyborg head-butted her, and stepped forward as he drove Ten back, their hands still locked together.

Ten smiled, her eyes narrowing wickedly. "Oh, poor uneducated little Victor. Let me give you a bit of a history lesson." Cyborg heard the thrusters in Ten's probe fire, and she began to press forward.

"Huh?"

"History, Cyborg. History tells us the battle is never won by the side that's the most noble, or the side with the most heart and spirit. No, no. History teaches us this lesson: in any conflict, the battle is won by whoever has the best _technology!"_

Light exploded around Ten, blinding both of Cyborg's eyes with both radiation and light, and Ten stepped forward, punching her glowing fist through Cyborg's abdomen, chunks of metal spraying everywhere as transistors and all sorts of other machine parts leaked out.

"Lesson learned," she said, as Cyborg's senses all faded to black.

* * *

Somehow Jack found himself fighting Starfire, diving in and out of Starbolt blasts, using all his armor's abilities. He fired off a burst of energy from a plasma pistol he'd brought with him, but the Tamaranian dodged it and fired back with Starbolts. 

Jack put his shield up to full strength, deflecting all the bolts and then firing back. Starfire dodged… and the beam hit the car behind her, causing a massive explosion that shattered windows all along the street and sent Starfire careening into the asphalt. She did not get back up.

Beast Boy darted forward to try and rescue her, but the heat was too much, and he staggered back and also collapsed.

* * *

Eddie Bloominflaur stared at his family and the Teen Titans fighting, and began to feel something. Guilt, he guessed. It hurt, though. It felt as though he'd made a terrible, terrible mistake. The way Beast Boy selflessly ran towards an explosion to save Starfire—the way Cyborg kept fighting even though Jasmine out-classed him. 

It reminded him of why he'd loved the Titans—and Robin—so much in the first place.

Even if Robin had done something so horrible to them in the future, was any of that really worth all this?

"Daddy…" he whispered. "Please be right about this… Please don't be the villain."

* * *

Raven witnessed all these events from the shadows, dread and horror growing in her stomach. She wanted so badly to help, but she could barely walk straight, let alone fight. Even though the King was no longer able to punch history, she was still far from okay. For now, she needed to hang back, to regain her strength… 

And then she saw Robin, bruised and beaten from his fight with the Queen, standing in the middle of the road where Haney Street intersected with the road that ran along the bay; the King stood, the bay to his back, aiming the massive particle canon directly at him.

The Queen fell to her knees a few feet away, Robin having been too much for her and she having been too much for Robin.

And after all the litigation and fighting, the Titans lay defeated and the Boy Wonder stood helpless in the sights of King's particle cannon. Raven wanted to reach out, to do something to help, but found her legs shaky. She tried to press on anyway, not even daring to fly. Exhaustion seemed to drip off of her, weigh her down…

Starfire got to her feet and started slowly walking over too Robin…

She wouldn't be fast enough, and it didn't matter anyway because Ten got between her and her leader and Starfire didn't have enough strength to fight…

"Now, Harold!" shouted Queen! "KILL HIM!"

"It has been a good fight, lad," Harold said. "But it must end. Checkmate."

"NO! DADDY! DON'T HURT HIM..!" cried a young boy, finally realizing that his childhood idol was in grave danger, finally realizing how badly he'd been misled. Finally realizing that some things may well be more important than family.

King saw what was happening and tried to stop himself—

Too late; the wave of particles lashed out…

Raven jerked her head to the side as a little black blur ran past, and dove towards Robin and slammed into his side, pushing him out of the way of the stream of charged particles.

A shrill cry escaped Queen's lips as the beam struck little Eddie Bloominflaur; his body was a silhouette in a cloud of burning white-hot energy, and then fell to the asphalt with a sickening thud.

"No… No… What have I done!?" cried the King, darting over to the body, and Queen following shortly there after.

"Eddie!" she cried, a gut-wrenching scream of a woman pleading for the impossible.

Robin stared at the charred body from where he lay a few feet away, and glanced over at King and Queen. "You killed him," he spat. "You murdered your own son."

"I didn't mean to!" wailed Harold, as if that would bring Eddie back. Raven could feel his guilt, his anguish, even from this far away, as the Bloominflaurs cradled the corpse of their son.

"Eddie!" cried Jasmine, hovering over to the body. "No.. no, this can't be happening…" Jasmine's eyes filled with rage, and whirled around, pointing her arm at Robin. It transformed into a shotgun. "Mother, father… should I kill him?"

King and Queen stared blankly into the distance, not answering. A full minute must have gone by.

"Mother? Father?"

"Stand down," said King. "It's over."

Ten's arm transformed back to normal. "You're right… we have." She hovered over and knelt by Eddie's body. "This is not what was supposed to have happened."

Harold Bloominflaur inhaled "We've lost too much… I killed him…" The rest of his words were unintelligible through his sobs, the tears building up inside his white playing-card mask so that he pulled it off and threw it down the street with a shout.

It landed with a thud and skidded to a halt at Jack's feet. Raven narrowed her eyes on the face of the elder Edward Bloominflaur, seeing and feeling the rage and insanity emanating from his heart and mind. He was becoming—unhinged… Dangerous…

"Surrender?" he said in a low growl. "After all this, Dad? Surrender?"

"We've lost too much," King sobbed. "What does any of it matter anymore? It's over! My son is dead! I killed my own son!"

"I **AM** YOUR SON, OLD MAN!" Jack bellowed. "That stupid child was a weak parasite. I'm _glad_ he's dead. I hated my younger self. He was so worthless."

"Don't talk about—yourself—that way!" Queen sobbed, finding the very idea awkward.

"Don't you understand? Now that this has happened you don't even exist anymore! The only reason you've not been erased from history is—"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Jack screamed, tearing off his gloves and charging for Robin. "I'll finish this with my bare hands because you are too weak!"

Jack darted forward, and Robin got up, clearly barely able to stand. He pulled a birdarang and started towards Jack, running on pure survival instinct. It was kill or be killed at this point. Robin had no other alternatives…

And then, Jack stopped abruptly, dark energy coating his armor. Slowly he turned his head and upper body and saw Raven, ten paces behind him and to the left. The energy slipped off his torso and off his legs, and retreated down to Jack's belt.

_Click_

The belt came unfastened, loosening and sliding open, barely any longer around Jack's waist. "So the witch shows herself," he spat.

"I've been watching you." Raven took a step clockwise around him. "Every time King would punch the time stream, your belts would all begin to glow, just briefly. They're the things protecting you from the changes to the time stream. They're the reason you've not been erased from history."

A surge of fury arced through Jack, and Raven knew she was correct.

"If you take one more step, you'll be out of the field this belt uses to stop the timeline changes from affecting you. If you take one more step… you'll be dead. Stand down." It was all Raven could do to stay conscious, to keep herself from succumbing to sleep. She had to stay awake. She had to stay long enough to stop Jack.

"You insolent 'hero'…" said Jack, clenching his fists. "You think you know everything. You don't understand anything. My younger self died, but I'm here. I still exist—I exist now outside of time, outside of reality. The philosopher said _I think; therefore, I am._**"**

"He wasn't talking about time travel."

"I'll prove it!" Jack raged. "I'll prove that I can exist with or without my younger self. With or without—this accursed belt!"

And Jack stepped forward, out of the belt; he stooped down and grabbed a birdarang, and strode over to Robin.

"This isn't possible!" Jasmine whispered. "He can't…"

"Edward!" cried Queen…

Raven fell to her knees as temporal energy began buzzing inside her brain. _Oh no, here it comes. He's going to be erased… _She glanced up to see that Jack was now covered in pulsating white energy, red lightning bolts arcing across his hair, between his fingers; it got stronger, until it was practically covering his body. He staggered towards Robin, raising the birdarang threateningly. And Robin let the birdarang in his own hand fly, knocking Jack's to the ground.

Edward Bloominflaur cried out in rage and fell to his knees. Lightning arced into the sky, and the world exploded into a wave of white light, filling everyone's vision, blinding even Jasmine as she was propelled backwards.

When it cleared, there was no trace of Jack at all. He was simply… gone.

* * *

Robin looked up the street and saw Raven, her eyes lolled back in her head. She muttered something or made a dull groan and collapsed to the ground, devastated one last time by the ravages of the temporal shock on her brain. 

Robin staggered over to her. "Raven!" he shouted. "Raven, hang on… I'm coming."

He glanced over at the Bloominflaurs, cradling the body of their son. Compassion stirred in his heart for them, but they were criminals.

..And he was in no shape to apprehend them. He pulled off a glove and knelt to check Raven's pulse, never taking his eyes off King and Queen.

Queen grabbed her husband's arm. "Come, Harold. The witch has fainted—we must escape now."

King glanced up at Robin and shook his head. "I'm sorry we put you through all this, lad."

"Frank Newitt," Robin thought aloud. "He was your Ace, wasn't he? Then he came to me—me in the future—and got a deal to hide in the past in exchange for testimony. That's why you killed him."

King nodded.

"I can't stop you," Robin said. "I can barely move. But if you _ever _set foot in this or any time period again, I will do everything in my power to bring you to justice. Do you understand?"

King nodded again, then followed his wife and Jasmine as Queen opened a temporal vortex with her scepter. The three of them vanished into it, leaving the Titans to fend for themselves.

Robin pulled out his communicator. "This is Robin," he said. "The threat has been neutralized. Send a medical team. Over."

* * *

**SIX DAYS LATER**

"Merry Christmas, Mister Nick!" Pearl Fey reached behind her back and pulled out a small but beautifully painted woodcarving of a Phoenix rising from its ashes.

"Wow, Pearls—that's incredible!" Nick said, taking the little carving from her. "You got this for me?"

"Yup! All by myself!"

**"Pearly!" **Maya scolded.

"Okay," Pearl admitted. "Mystic Maya helped a little bit."

"I helped quite a bit, actually," said Maya. "What did you get me, Nick? A new car, I hope!"

Phoenix Wright winced, leaning back and half-sitting on the desk in his law office. "I'm afraid not," he said. "I'm really sorry, Maya, but I just didn't have enough money."

Maya looked down. "It's okay, Nick. I can wait till next year."

Nick gave her a light smile, hoping to cheer her up. Though, really, it was probably Nick that needed the most cheering up. In the days since the end of the trial of Timothy Drake—or rather, Robin, as it was officially written on the court record—a few rather disturbing facts had come to light about what actually happened with the Bloominflaurs.

Apparently, their future selves had jumped the incarnations from this era, knocked them out, and placed them in a hidden closet behind the stairs of their house. Technology from the year 2018 sure was marvelous, Nick mused. The Bloominflaurs had been placed in a type of cryogenic stasis, all except Eddie. Little Jasmine could be faked, placing her probe in a robot body, but there was no way they could change Edward into Eddie. For this reason the concocted the fake older son, Theodore.

The whole family had been thawed out, and JLU member Zatanna had been brought in to create false memories of the months the future Bloominflaurs had taken their place. They were told that their son had been returning home from school and got caught in the crossfire of a metahuman turf war. They were, of course, devastated.

On a brighter note, the illness that wracked young Jasmine's body was diagnosed three days ago. Perhaps now there would never be a future where her parents would have to put their daughter's mind in a holo-probe. Perhaps none of this would ever happen—the Bloominflaurs would never become criminals, never succumb to the temptations of wealth stolen rather than earned.

In light of all this, Wright had felt so selfish on the one time he had started to ask Robin about his payment that he had put it off and put it off. And now Christmas was here and he had barely enough money to pay the bills, let alone buy Pearl and Maya something nice. He'd ended up just getting them a season box set of _Steel Samurai._

He walked to his chair and slumped down.

"Well, I guess we had better get going," he said.

"Where to?" Maya asked, her eyebrow raised curiously.

Nick laughed. "You'll never believe this, but Edgeworth invited us over for Christmas dinner."

"I don't believe it!" Pearl shouted. "I had no idea Mr. Edgeworth was so nice!"

"Welcome to the club," Nick joked. "Not just us, either. He told me that Dick Gumshoe, Maggey Byrde, Lana Skye, and the judge are going to be there, among others."

"Now you're just pulling my leg," Maya said, crossing her arms. "There's no way."

"I'm telling the truth!"

Maya beamed. "Really!? In that case, we'd better get going before Gumshoe eats all the food!"

"Alright," Nick said. "Just let me get my coat and…huh?"

"What?" Maya turned.

And there, in the middle of Wright's desk, a bright flash of light slowly coalesced into a field of sparkling energy. The energy subsided, and where nothing had been before, there was now a metal briefcase…

And on the top, there was emblazoned the emblem of the Bat.

"Whooooooooaaaa!" Pearl said. "Do it again!"

Nick reached down, at first wondering if the Bloominflaurs hadn't sent him a bomb back in time. For revenge or something. But Nick slid his fingers along the edge of the case and undid the two fasteners.

The case flung open, revealing it to be stacked to the brim with money. Hundreds and hundreds of fifty-dollar bills, immaculately wrapped and placed in the suitcase. Nick gasped when he saw it.

"Ohmigosh, Nick! That's a LOT of money!"

"We're saved!" Pearl cried.

Nick fell back. He'd never _seen_ so much money in his life, let alone owned it! Relief overwhelmed him. "Well, Maya. Looks like you might be getting that car after all."

"Not just any car!" she said. "I want a Ferrari!"

"With a DVD player in the back!" Pearl added.

"And heated seats!"

"And a cappuccino machine! Please Mister Nick! Please!"

"Um… Um…"

"Look at him Pearly," Maya said with a devious smile. "It's about to burst out of him!"

"Say it, Mister Nick. You know you want to!"

And so he did.

"_**OBJECTION!"**_

* * *

**End Note: **Well, that's the end of this tale. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. All reviews are appreciated, positive or contructive. Be sure to check out my other fics if you're interested in knowing more about Ragnarok and Yin. Oh yes, and Gauntlet? He was created by FFN member BobCat. There's a link to his profile in mine; go check his stuff out. It's more than worth it.**  
**


End file.
